The Stages of Grief
by MandyCakes
Summary: When the unexpected happens, the one man Betty pushed away ends up being the one she needed all along.
1. Prologue

A/N: **Hello all! I know I haven't been on here in awhile, but school is keeping me extra busy. And I've been editing the end of Matters of the Heart for quite some time, I just can't get the words to flow right if you know what I mean. I'm finding myself less inspired, I think likely because I know the show is ending...****however, I always have new ideas, and hopefully this won't be my last Ugly Betty story ever, but if it is, I hope you'll enjoy it :p**

_Summary: When the unexpected happens, the one man Betty pushed away ends up being the one she needed all along. _

_Takes place after the events of "Back in her Place", so early January 2010. Hilda doesn't lose the baby in my story (I thought that was so random...)_

_I think that's all I have to say for now...this is just a prologue, so let me know what you think!  
_

* * *

Betty was empty. Completely and utterly empty inside.

The emotions that should've been pouring out weren't, although, she felt the tears creeping into her eyes.

A large scream escaped her lips, and her legs could no longer support her weight as she collapsed on the ground, crying in agony. The sobs shook her body as she wept, hearing the soft cries of someone beside her.

Her entire body trembled as she cried for him, for his mother…for herself. A familiar hand rested on her back, an attempt to soothe the pain searing through her heart.

Betty looked up then, furiously blinking back tears, her sister's face showing concern, empathetic to what she was feeling. Hilda wrapped an arm around her then, as another unexpected wave of sobs consumed her being.

Betty wasn't sure how long she cried, could've been minutes…could've been hours. She just knew she felt numb afterward, which was somewhat of a good thing.

She didn't want to feel anything. She didn't want her mind to function properly, because then she'd become aware that this wasn't a dream, that the plane taking Matt to Botswana _had_ lost transmission somewhere over the Atlantic.

Maybe this way, she wouldn't have to accept his death.

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**I know, this was mean of me...but I want to make sure you guys actually want to read the story before I put more of it on here. Please review! Thanks!**


	2. Alone with Her Thoughts

A/N: **Hi guys! Thanks for the reviews! I have a test on Friday and then I'm going to Atlanta for spring break, but I'll be sure to update asap.**

_Summary: When the unexpected happens, the one man Betty pushed away ends up being the one she needed all along. _

_Takes place after the events of "Back in her Place", so early January 2010. Hilda doesn't lose the baby in my story (I thought that was so random...)_

* * *

Daniel got the news at work two days later. He'd only heard part of what Marc had said, apparently Cal Hartley had used every resource to find out exactly what had gone wrong with the plane.

He stood behind his desk for a few moments, staring out the window at the streets below. He hadn't exactly been welcoming to Matt at Mode, but he certainly wasn't acting like himself then, either.

As shocked as he was by the turn of events, he felt a small stab of pain when he realized Betty hadn't called or texted him.

Surely she'd gotten the news by now? Maybe she just needed some time, he surmised. Maybe he'd just give her some space.

Daniel picked his blackberry up, a million thoughts crowding his mind as he lightly tapped the side of it for a few seconds.

Maybe he'd take an early lunch and stop by her place, just in case.

-

Hilda Suarez lightly touched her belly as she walked downstairs. She opened the door, not at all surprised to see Daniel on the other side of the threshold.

"Hey Hilda… how are you?" he smiled politely.

"I'm good. Come on in," she stepped aside. "So I take it you heard the news?" she sat down on the couch.

He nodded solemnly, "yeah. I umm…just wanted to see how she was doing. I hadn't heard from her," he told her.

"Oh. Well she's at her apartment…said she needed some space. She's sent me messages, but doesn't want to talk to me right now," Hilda explained.

Daniel paused, "so she moved back into her apartment?"

"Last week. She was just ready for a change, you know? It was hard for me to lose Santos…I never imagined my little sister would be going through the same thing. I don't know what to do…could you try and see her, Daniel?" she asked.

"Of course. I'll do anything to help."

-

Betty let in a deep breath, opening her eyes instantly.

She stared up at the ceiling, darkness engulfing all she knew. She sat up groggily, allowing her eyes time to adjust to the dark and glanced around.

Of course it had been a dream. Another dream about _him_.

She hated it, dreaming about the nearness of him. His eyes, his hands, his smell- it all felt so real. Betty touched the spot next to her in the bed, a place he occupied so often in so many of her dreams.

Fresh tears filled her eyes, as she curled back into a ball on her favorite side of the bed. She felt guilty for even thinking about him that way now…it made her feel so vile.

His memorial service had been a couple of days ago, as eventful as she thought it would be, the paparazzi just loved tragedies, as did the fashion world apparently.

Victoria Hartley had put on her brave face, but Cal had shown enough emotion for the two of them. Betty would never quite understand Cal Hartley…he was a complicated creature, one who had many sides.

Against Victoria's insistence, Betty had set in the eighth row back, observing the two of them from afar. She certainly wasn't family, and had been surprised Victoria had suggested she sit nearby. Daniel and Hilda had sat on both sides of her, for moral support she supposed.

Betty hadn't shed a tear through the entire service, perhaps she was saving her tears for the days subsequently spent in bed.

Daniel had reached over during the service, covering one of her hands with his own and giving it a gentle squeeze. Betty's eyes moved from their hands to his eyes, which were staring at her with an all too familiar look: empathy, understanding. 'I've been through the same thing,' Betty was sure he'd say, 'let me help you, Betty.'

She removed her hand from under his, seeming repulsed by his touch and ignoring the hurt in his eyes. She'd told him when he showed up at her door the other day that she didn't want his help…or his pity. She was strong enough to deal with this on her own.

Betty rolled over in bed, reaching for the Kleenex box, using energy she didn't know she had to blow her nose. Betty knew she was a sad sight to behold, but she didn't care. She didn't care about anything. She just wanted the pain to go away.

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**Betty will have more interaction with Daniel in the next chapter...Please review! Thanks!**


	3. Guilt

A/N: **Hi guys! Thanks for the reviews!  
**

_Summary: When the unexpected happens, the one man Betty pushed away ends up being the one she needed all along. _

_Takes place after the events of "Back in her Place", so early January 2010. Hilda doesn't lose the baby in my story (I thought that was so random...)_

* * *

Daniel knocked lightly on the front door of her apartment for the second time, hearing shuffling on the other side.

"Go away," he heard her mutter from the other side.

"Come on, Betty. Open up please," he asked.

"No!" she yelled this time. He let out a deep breath, reaching for the key Hilda had given him earlier that day. "I hope you're decent," he warned, sliding the key in easily and opening the door.

She sat up from her couch on the far side of the dark room, startled. "What the HELL?!" Betty was visibly upset, throwing the blanket off of her and standing, wondering how he got in, then spotting the small piece of metal in his hand.

"Why are you here? I told you after the service I wanted to be alone," she put her hands on her hips. Daniel's eyes drifted to the tissues next to the sofa, pictures she and Matt had taken together, and the bottle of wine on the ground. His gaze studied her, the worn down look in her red eyes, brown locks pulled into a messy ponytail and she was wearing what looked to be one of Matt's shirts.

"I know you did. I thought I wanted to be alone after Molly died, too. I know now that I wouldn't have survived without you there," he admitted.

She locked eyes with him momentarily, breaking contact. "Well that was _you_. This is me," she exclaimed.

"I know, but-"

"You don't know anything! Not about me. Not anymore," she shouted. "We've talked for what? Five total minutes in the last month? Don't act like you want to be my friend again all of a sudden!" she interrupted him, turning on her heel and leaning against her dining table.

He let out a deep sigh. She was right- their friendship certainly had suffered the last several weeks. But it went both ways.

"Betty, just because we've both been busy doesn't mean we're not still friends. Now I care about you and about what happens to you…don't shut me out," he told her, taking a step in her direction.

"Leave me _alone_," she said sternly, her brown eyes dull, void of the happiness he was used to seeing there.

"Betty, I know what its like to lose someone you love. Just let me help you," he pleaded with her, hands on her shoulders.

"Oh _shut up_, Daniel! Just shut up! You didn't even know Molly!" Betty yelled, eyes ablaze with anger as she pulled away from him. Daniel felt like the wind had been knocked out of him, so he took a step back to gather himself.

"What?" he said almost inaudibly, hearing a small, cynical chuckle escape her lips.

"There's no such thing as love at first sight, Daniel. You fell in love with her in what, three weeks? No you didn't. Because you weren't _in love_ with her. You were in love with _the fantasy_, the idea of it all. But I guess I'm the only one that can see that," she said, picking up her near empty glass of wine and downing the rest.

Daniel stood motionless, feeling the tears creep into his eyes. He certainly didn't have a response for that...especially since it was coming from Betty. In an instant, all the memories of losing her came rushing back to him, as did the absolute misery he felt afterward. He turned away from her, placing a hand on the doorknob. She'd hurt him…her words hurt him in the worst way possible.

But that's what she wanted. She wanted him to leave, she wanted to push him away. Daniel wasn't going to let her win this one.

Instead of opening the door he secured the lock on the top, facing her again. Surprise struck her tear-filled gaze as she stood staring at him.

"Are you done?" he asked her, stroking his beard.

"Am I done what? Get out of here!" she yelled, pointing at the door behind him.

"Are you done trying to hurt me? And No. I'm not leaving," Daniel defiantly took a couple steps toward her.

She tried to blink the tears away from her eyes, but without success as a few slid down her cheeks silently.

"What do you know about love, anyway? Hmm?" he asked her, loosening his tie. "You accused _me_ of falling in love with a fantasy, really? You shouldn't throw stones in a glass house, Betty."

She slapped him then. Hard. The loud sound hung in the air of her small apartment, and he faced her again.

"You feel better now?" he asked, ignoring the sting on his left cheek.

"You jerk. Just go away!" Betty was almost screaming now, and she pushed him in the chest. He lost his footing a bit, but recovered nicely.

"Why? So you can sit here in the dark?" he asked calmly, swallowing over the lump in his throat. She shook her head furiously. Betty stared into his blue eyes, unwavering.

"I hate you!" she pounded her fists against his chest, starting to cry. "I hate you for this!" she continued to cry, and Daniel took hold of her wrists as she lost her resolve. The broken woman in front of him finally collapsed in his arms, as he pulled her closer to him.

"Shh…it's okay," he soothed her as she sobbed, holding on to him for dear life.

Daniel carefully walked her over to the couch after several moments. She numbly drug her feet behind, using Daniel as a support. He sat down with her, gently gliding his hand along her back.

"He's really gone," Betty whispered, burying her head in her hands and allowing more tears to fall. "It's my fault," he heard her mumble.

"No it's not. Don't say that," he pulled her closer again.

Betty moved her head away from his tear soaked shirt and looked up at him. "I should've made him stay…" she shook her head with regret.

"You had no way of knowing something would go wrong with that plane. Look at me," he leaned forward, gently pulling her cheek toward him. Daniel looked into her bloodshot eyes, the pain she felt evident within them.

"This is _not_ your fault, Betty. Don't dwell on what may or may not have happened…it was out of your control. You have to believe that," he tried to reassure her. She looked away from him, raking a hand through her messy locks.

"It's not fair. It just isn't…" he heard her say softly. "How am I gonna do this Daniel?" her brown eyes seemingly searched his for some kind of answer.

He let out a large sigh, feeling his heart breaking for her. "It's gonna be a long road, Betty. Some days are going to be harder than others and things are going to get rough before they get better. I can't guarantee that you'll feel fine in a few weeks, because I don't know. But I can guarantee that I'll be right beside you...everyday, every step of the way. You don't have to go through this alone. We'll get through this. One day at a time, okay?" he felt her lean into him and he wrapped his arm securely around her, calming her as she cried.

"I'm not going anywhere, Betty. I promise."

Daniel wasn't sure how long he held her in the dimly lit room, rocking her ever so slightly as her cries turned into quiet sniffles. After awhile, he moved his arm from around her the tiniest bit, realizing she'd finally fallen asleep. He leaned to his left, gently laying her on the couch and moving her legs on top of his lap.

Daniel leaned his head back on the soft cushion in fatigue, closing his eyes momentarily.

Tired blue eyes opened again as he glanced down at her, feeling a tug at his heart. He reached over and brushed the tapered brown strands off her face, her skin still moist from where the last tear had fallen.

"I'm so sorry, Betty..." his voice was nearly inaudible as he felt the emotion rising in him. He ran a hand over his tired features and leaned against the cushions once more, trying his best to get comfortable as fatigue overwhelmed him.

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**Always love to hear what you think :o) Thanks!**


	4. Comfort

A/N: **Hi guys! Thanks for the reviews! And I know Betty's apartment isn't quite as big as I describe it in this section, but just roll with it...  
**

_Summary: When the unexpected happens, the one man Betty pushed away ends up being the one she needed all along. _

_Takes place after the events of "Back in her Place", so early January 2010. Hilda doesn't lose the baby in my story (I thought that was so random...)_

* * *

"NO!" Betty jerked herself awake instantly, beads of sweat on her forehead. "Matt?" she asked aloud, hearing some light footsteps approaching her bedroom.

Fresh tears stung her eyes as she tried to calm herself down. She started to cry softly after she could hold back no longer.

"Betty?" a familiar voice asked from outside her room. Daniel leaned his ear against her door, hearing some light shuffling and then a quiet reply, "come in."

He opened the door, the light from the kitchen illuminating her dark bedroom. She sat on the middle of the bed, knees pulled to her chest. She looked so small and fragile wrapped up in the large comforter.

"I heard you yell...I just wanted to make sure you were alright," he told her.

Betty stared back at his silhouette in the doorway, only able to see his disheveled hair and the outline of his face. But somehow, she already knew the look he had in his eyes. She'd seen it so many times since that day at the memorial service, a look that told her he was scared she would fall apart. Maybe he had reason to worry.

"I had a bad dream," she replied softly, wiping her tears away. "Do you wanna talk about it?" Daniel asked her gently.

He watched as she shook her head slowly, "not right now," she answered, resting her chin on her knees.

"Okay," he said, hand still on the doorknob. "Well if you change your mind...you-"

"Wait," she stopped him, sitting up a little more. Daniel paused, and she beckoned him over, scooting over in the full size bed. He left the door ajar, making his way over to Betty and sitting beside her.

He'd been staying with Betty on and off for the past couple of weeks, just so she wouldn't be alone all the time. He didn't like the idea of her crying alone in her bed, but by the looks of things it didn't seem like he was doing much good. Daniel looked into her misty brown eyes, wishing he could put some life back in them.

"I've had this dream before. It was just different this time," Betty began. "Matt and I are at the airport together, he's about to leave. I tried to stop him but he kept walking further and further away. I yelled but he couldn't hear me. And then he was gone. That's when I woke up," Betty finished, wiping a lone tear from her cheek.

Daniel rested a hand on her shoulder, rubbing it gently. "I hate waking up and realizing he's not really here," her teary gaze finally met his again, and he felt a lump form in his throat.

"I'm sorry...I know this is difficult. If I could take some of your pain away, you know I would," Daniel told her softly, gliding his thumb along the back of her neck.

"I know," she sniffled. He leaned toward the nightstand, grabbing a tissue box and handing it to her.

"Thanks," she pulled a few tissues out of it, blowing her nose. "How do you think the grief counseling is going? Is it helping at all?" Daniel was curious. He'd found the counseling useful after his father died, so he had offered to pay for as many sessions as she needed.

"I think it is. Thanks for suggesting it," she sniffled again with a sigh. "You know it's no problem, Betty," he answered soothingly.

"I need to get my mind focused on something else. I think I'm gonna come back to work on Monday," she stated simply.

Daniel's hand paused on her back momentarily. "What? Are you sure?" he was shocked to say the least.

Betty nodded, glancing in his direction. "Yeah. You've been more than understanding about giving me time off...if I had any other boss, I would've been at work days ago," she grabbed another tissue.

"Yeah but you _don't_ have any other boss. Don't feel pressured into coming into work any sooner than you'd like," Daniel explained.

Betty gave him a small grin. "Thanks Daniel. But I think I need to. I need to get back to doing normal things. I'm ready," she tried to convince him.

Daniel looked into her eyes, faintly seeing a hint of the spark that resided there when she talked about work. He didn't want to say no and knew he had to trust her when it came to things like this.

"Okay," he conceded. He never did stand a chance against those eyes of hers.

"Daniel, I'm sorry," she said after a few moments, her moist brown eyes full of regret.

"Sorry? For what?" he wondered as she gazed down at her hands. "For what I said. Before…when I was angry with you. I didn't mean what I said about Molly. I know how much you-"

"You don't have to apologize for that," he told her.

"No. I do…it was wrong of me. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Molly was a great person," Betty said, clearing her throat. Daniel looked over at her, and saw the raw honesty in her eyes.

"There's nothing to forgive. You were upset but…" he let out a sigh. "I think there may have been some truth to what you said."

Betty's eyes got wide at his statement. "No there wasn't. You loved Molly," she reminded him.

Daniel nodded, "You're right. I did love Molly. And I'll always love her…but- I don't know if I was _in love_ with her," he admitted, slightly amused at Betty's stunned expression.

"Daniel I don't know if you're thinking clearly," she said, watching a small smirk appear on his features.

"I am," he replied, his blue eyes stuck on hers.

She shrugged, "if you say so."

"Why do you say it like that?" he wondered, leaning against the headboard.

"_Because_," her eyes followed his movement, "the only reason I said that stuff about Molly is to make you mad. I didn't really believe it was true," she revealed.

Daniel raised an eyebrow, "it had to have come from somewhere, though," he leaned his head to the side thoughtfully.

Betty shrugged, "well, okay. Maybe at first I just thought you wanted what you couldn't have…I thought you were trying to one up Connor or something…"

"I can see how it might've looked that way," he acknowledged.

"But the more I saw you together, and the way you talked about her convinced me that you did love her," she stated, pulling her legs to her chest and glancing back at him.

Daniel nodded, breathing deeply. "I don't know. I think I rushed into things with Molly. Of course I don't regret any part of our relationship, but I was just _so_ ready to get married, and have the perfect little family that I…fell in love with a dream," he confessed, the light from the kitchen hitting his eyes.

He blinked a few times, returning his attention to her. He'd thought she hadn't seen the fresh moisture form at the corners of his blue eyes, but he was wrong. Betty knew it was difficult for Daniel to come to terms with his feelings, especially voicing them aloud. She felt his eyes on her, no doubt watching the wheels in her head turn.

"You want to try to go back to sleep?" he asked quietly, studying the pensive look on her face.

Betty locked her eyes with his. She didn't want to be alone. "Will you stay with me?"

"Okay," he replied after a moment. She heard him adjusting the pillow behind his back and moved slightly closer to him, unwrapping herself from the comforter so he could get underneath.

Daniel lay on the pillow next to her, watching as she rested her head on his chest. Betty felt him tense up initially, but then felt his arm wrap around her, resting it on her back.

He relaxed against her and pulled her a bit closer, feeling her arm drape across his midsection. She quietly listened to his heart, allowing the steady beat to lull her into a restful sleep.

Daniel stared at ceiling for awhile until his eyelids got heavy, ignoring the nagging thought in the back of his mind that told him lying in bed with his best friend didn't quite feel as wrong as it should have.

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**Always love to hear what you think :o) Thanks!**


	5. Reaction Formation

A/N: **Hi guys! I love the reviews...they keep me going! This is short, but next chapter will be up within 48 hours, I just took a test and wanted to give you guys a little something until I post what's next. Thanks for reading :o)  
**

_Summary: When the unexpected happens, the one man Betty pushed away ends up being the one she needed all along. _

_Takes place after the events of "Back in her Place", so early January 2010. Hilda doesn't lose the baby in my story (I thought that was so random...)_

* * *

Daniel sat at his desk, nervously bouncing his knee up and down. He glanced at his watch again. Almost 5:00. Maybe he should try to catch Betty before she left. He heard familiar quick footsteps approaching his office door and stood from his desk.

"Hey," he said to Betty as he unbuttoned his suit jacket, "I was just about to find you…" he stopped mid-sentence, noticing she looked as if she had something on her mind.

"What is it?"

She crossed her arms over her chest. "How long has this thing with Amanda been going on?" Betty asked, looking up at him from behind her frames with accusatory eyes.

"What?" He stood in front of her, a perplexed look crossing his features.

"Daniel, what were you thinking?" she cocked her head slightly to the side, using a condescending tone he hadn't heard in awhile.

"Well…you're the one who told me it was okay for me to have a little fun in the Bahamas. I just happened to have it with Amanda. It wasn't like before at all Betty…things were different. Besides, we aren't even talking like that anymore...it only happened while we were there. We both know that it's better this way," he explained, feeling his cheeks get hot.

She sighed discontentedly, her gaze drifting back to his. "Why are you so upset?" Daniel wondered.

Betty glanced into his curious eyes, shaking her head. Truth was, Betty didn't know why she'd reacted this way. It wasn't even that big of a deal. She was part of the reason Amanda was even available in the Bahamas. Why was she feeling so weird about the thought of them together? "I don't know…I'm not upset. Just caught off guard I guess. When I told you that in the Bahamas, Amanda was the last person I thought you'd turn to. Especially considering… your history," she explained.

He nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "It probably wasn't the _best_ decision I've made," Daniel admitted with a small grin. Betty shrugged, "I didn't mean to sound so judgmental…Amanda let it slip and I think she thought I knew."

"I would've told you but…"

"You didn't have to tell me. It's none of my business," she waved it off.

"Umm...if I recall correctly, within a year of becoming my assistant, you knew more about my personal business than anyone," he smirked, as did she.

"Ahh…how could I forget? I guess you have a point there," she replied.

"Exactly. It feels...unnatural not sharing stuff with you," he added.

Betty smirked slyly, adjusting her frames. "I know what you mean."

"So are we okay?" he asked after a moment.

"We're fine. All the chaos of putting this spring issue together…it's just been a long week, you know?" she told him, letting out a sigh.

"I _do_ know," Daniel stepped closer to her and gave her shoulders a squeeze, "I was trying to catch you before you left to see if you wanted to grab a bite to eat. Maybe it'll help you unwind a bit."

Betty raised her eyebrows, intrigued. "Yes! I'm starving, that sounds wonderful. I'll grab my stuff and meet you by the elevator."

"Okay, sounds good," he watched her turn on her heel, briskly walking away from him. He smirked at the spot she occupied moments before, shaking his head and turning back to his desk.

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**Sorry it was so long in between updates, school has taken over my life once again...thanks for understanding...PLEASE REVIEW!**


	6. One step forward, three steps back

A/N: **Okay, I'm the worst updater ever. Sorry about that...  
**

_Summary: When the unexpected happens, the one man Betty pushed away ends up being the one she needed all along. _

_Takes place after the events of "Back in her Place", so early January 2010. Hilda doesn't lose the baby in my story (I thought that was so random...)_

* * *

Daniel walked up the steps of the Suarez home, light music and laughter finding his ears as he rang the doorbell. He clutched Hilda and Bobby's engagement gift in his left hand, hoping they liked it. It was actually kind of a combo baby/engagement present. He'd never even been into the baby section of a store before, let alone bought anything for anyone. Betty had made some suggestions of course, but he still looked lost wondering around. The door swung open, discontinuing any previous thoughts.

"Hey Daniel come on in," Justin smiled, taking his gift and sitting it on the decorative table.

"Thanks Justin. It looks great in here," Daniel said. "You like it? I toned it down a little from my original concept but my mom deserves only the best," he shrugged. "There's plenty of food in the kitchen if you're hungry. And Grandpa's making drinks," Justin told them as the doorbell rang again.

"Great…thanks," Daniel thanked him as he walked into the living room. "Daniel, hey," Ignacio tore himself away from a few guests. "Hey Mr. Suarez," he grinned at the older gentleman.

"Would you like some empanadas?" Ignacio held a tray up for him to see. Daniel's stomach was suddenly growling. He'd gotten a taste of some Betty made, and was curious to see how tasteful the original recipe was."Yes please," Daniel grabbed a couple.

"Hmm…these are amazing," he savored the bite.

"Glad you like em," Ignacio sat the tray aside. "Daniel, I really wanna thank you for being there for Betty these past few months. You've been a great friend to her."

"You don't have to thank me for that. I've lost count of the number of times she's done the same for me," he replied honestly.

"Well…just know that we all appreciate it. I know Betty does too," he said, hearing the phone ring. "Oh…excuse me," he hurried to pick up the receiver.

Daniel walked into the cozy kitchen, where Bobby was handing out mojitos. "Hey you two. Congratulations," he greeted them.

"Thanks Daniel," Hilda smiled, giving him a hug and a peck on the cheek. "How've you been?"

Daniel grinned, glancing at her protruding belly. "I've been good. You look great. How're you feeling?"

"Thanks. I'm good…only eight weeks to go! She's a kicker," Hilda rubbed her stomach affectionately.

"That's because we've got a soccer star on our hands," Bobby said, handing a drink to Daniel.

"Umm, excuse me…she's gonna be a dancer," Hilda held up a finger matter-of-factly.

"Why are you so against our girl being an athlete? It's only natural that she follows in my footsteps," Bobby grinned, winking at Hilda.

"Yeah, we've already had this discussion. You can tell he likes to argue," she smirked.

Daniel shook his head at the two of them, realizing that they may in fact be the perfect couple. He quickly scanned the room again, realizing he hadn't spotted Betty anywhere. "Hey umm…where's Betty? I didn't see her when I came in," Daniel sipped his drink.

"Oh. I dunno. I thought she ran upstairs for something," Hilda shrugged, knowing the worried look in Daniel's eyes all too well.

"Okay. I'll try to see what she's up to," he excused himself, turning to go upstairs but pausing when something caught his eye. Daniel made his way out the back door when he noticed a familiar figure in the backyard. He closed the screen door behind him, startling her. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you," he told Betty, who was sitting on the back porch.

"It's okay," she forced a grin. Daniel made his way down the steps, sitting beside her.

"You know you're missing all the fun right?" he asked.

Betty sighed, "I guess I just needed some alone time," she said. "I took your advice on the baby gift…picking one was harder than I thought it would be," he smirked, watching her trace the rim of her cup with an index finger.

"Really? You're like a baby whiz," she made a light-hearted attempt at a joke, glancing up at him briefly and only letting the light catch her eyes for a moment. It didn't take a genius to know she'd been crying. Daniel knew the minute he'd heard her voice...he hated seeing her so broken apart.

Daniel let out a breath he'd been holding and gazed at her. "What's on your mind, Betty?" He studied her intently, watching her shake her head dismissively. "It's nothing. Just the usual pity party. I don't want to bring your mood down," she turned to him.

"You won't. Just tell me," Daniel probed. Betty shifted on the small step, bringing the cup to her lips.

"I was thinking about last year at this time. Matt and I had been dating for a few weeks, and everything just seemed so right. He was such a good person," she told him.

"This party…Bobby and Hilda are so perfect together and… it just- reminded me of what I didn't have. And everyone kept glancing at me with this look in their eyes, feeling sorry for me. I just needed some fresh air," Betty admitted.

"That's understandable," he replied.

"Daniel, do you believe in angels?"

He turned his gaze to her, the question catching him off guard. "If you asked me this before my father died, I would've told you no. I've always been a skeptic about angels being with us and everything, but...I don't know. Something about the whole experience made me think differently. I haven't told anyone this, but sometimes I talk to my dad when I'm alone," Daniel told her.

"You do?" she was surprised. He nodded, "yeah. I tell him about work most of the time. How everyone's doing. How much he's missed. It sounds silly...but it makes me feel better."

"Have you tried to talk to Matt?" Daniel asked after a few moments of silence. Betty's tearful gaze swept across his, "no. I've thought about it, but I can never do it."

"Well why don't we try now?" he asked. She shrugged.

"Come on, Betty. It's just you and me. It might make you feel better," she found his blue gaze convincing this time.

"Okay. Umm," she glanced up towards the moonlit sky. "Hey...you already know who it is. These last few months I've really been trying to sort my emotions out. I know I'm not responsible for what happened, but part of me can't help but wonder what would've happened if I'd never inspired you to find your true passion. If I had just let things be…you never would've even thought of Botswana, let alone try to go there," she shook her head with remorse. "I just don't understand why you were taken from us. I know there's a reason for everything, but I don't get this. Maybe I never will," tears were rolling freely down her cheeks now.

Daniel put an arm around her, squeezing her shoulder. "I miss you more everyday. Just when I think I'm getting better, I move back three steps. It's hard but I know I'll get through this. I just wanted to say I miss you, Matt. You'll always be in my heart," she let out a small sob, crying as Daniel pulled her closer. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

Daniel felt her lean into him, and lightly leaned his head against hers as he whispered soothing words in her ear.

She pulled away from him after a few minutes, her moist eyes meeting his as she sat more upright. "Sorry I messed your shirt up," Betty patted the wetness of his polo. He stroked her tears away with his thumbs.

"It's just a shirt," she gave a small grin at his.

"Thanks for...you know. Just being here. Thanks for being you," she told him sincerely, feeling her trembling hands encircled by his.

"I wouldn't be me without you."

Daniel's words hit her as a spring breeze swept through the backyard. She removed her hands from his and wrapped her light shawl around her.

"Maybe we should go back inside. It's getting a little chilly," he suggested, watching her nod and stand. He followed her inside, watching as Betty put on her best smile.

"Hey...there you are. You okay?" Hilda gave her little sister a small hug. Betty glanced back to where Daniel stood chatting with Bobby near the backdoor, meeting his concerned gaze for a millisecond.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

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**yeah, sorry if this seems like a weird ending point, but I didn't want to go any further with this chapter...hope you liked!**

**~Thanks for the reviews, you guys are the best~  
**


	7. Perspective

_Summary: When the unexpected happens, the one man Betty pushed away ends up being the one she needed all along. _

* * *

"Betty. Wow."

Betty smiled broadly, gliding her tongue against her exposed, straight teeth. The braces she'd grown so accustomed to over the past four years had just been removed. Daniel's words hung in the air between them, and neither he nor Betty could wipe the grin off their face.

"What do you think?" she smiled up at him in the small waiting area of her orthodontist's office, excitement running through her veins. Daniel searched for the right word to describe the woman that stood before him. None of the adjectives he'd applied to her in the past seemed to fit: Cute. Adorable. Sweet. They were still true at times, but not at all in this moment.

Maybe breathtaking. Radiant. Or...Devastatingly Beautiful.

"I think you look amazing, Betty," he heard the words, but they still didn't seem to do her justice.

A light blush spread on her cheeks and her grin got wider. "Thank you," she adjusted the small purse on her arm. His blue eyes rested on her for another moment or so before his mind caught up. He opened the door for her, squinting at the sun as they stepped out into the early summer warmth.

"Ahh...such a beautiful day," Betty stretched her arms out, leaning her head back in contentment. Daniel couldn't help but grin at her enthusiasm. It _was _indeed the first sunny day they'd had in awhile. The flowers were in full bloom, the weather hadn't crossed over into unbearable New York heat quite yet, and best of all he had the entire afternoon off. Yep, it was shaping up to be a pretty awesome day.

"I hope you're in the mood for a special treat," Daniel told her, glancing down at her surprised look. She eyed him suspiciously, a wary smirk pulling at her lips.

"What are you up to? I thought we were going to lunch," she said.

"Right. But this is first-meal-after-you-get-your-braces-off-lunch. It has to be special. It's a rule," he bumped her shoulder playfully, and she laughed.

"Hmm...okay. So what did you have in mind?" she wondered, pausing to stare up at him as they stopped at an intersection waiting for the light to turn red.

"Well, it depends on what you have a taste for. I know this place not too far from here that has some of the best barbeque ribs that-"

Betty burst into a fit of laughter at this, and he gazed down at her, looking offended. "What?"

"First of all, Daniel Meade eating anything messy is hilarious. And second, great barbeque rib spots aren't exactly gonna be in this part of Manhattan," she pointed out, letting him guide her to the other side of the street.

"Well when I said close by, I guess I didn't mean _literally. _We'd have to get in the towncar and take a short trip to the place," he clarified.

"Ah. Makes more sense now. Kind of," she shrugged, snickering when he poked her in the side, walking shoulder-to-shoulder on the crowded sidewalk.

"And if you want you could order corn on the cob with your meal. Then after that, we could go get some caramel apples, or peanut brittle, or caramel popcorn..." Daniel continued to name a few other foods, and she stole occasional glances at him, smiling to herself. She loved it when he was like this. The Daniel that not too many people knew. Silly, thoughtful, fun to be around Daniel. The one who'd taken the time to spend the afternoon celebrating her straight teeth. The one that she was quite sure she wouldn't have survived without the last five months.

"...have great hard shell tacos, or maybe we could get some caramel nuts..." he looked back at Betty, who seemed to be lost in thought. "You're not listening are you?" he accused.

"Man, you really like caramel, don't you?" Betty turned to him, grinning and trying her best not to laugh.

Daniel resisted his initial urge to lean down to her ear and reply in a deep voice, "oh you have no idea, sweetheart" and instead responded with light laughter. "Haha. Aren't you observant, miss Suarez."

"Well, you know me..." Betty shrugged her shoulders and smiled in delight as a light breeze blew threw her long hair. Daniel's eyes did a once over down her petite frame, noting that maybe the word cute _did _still apply to Betty today.

"I do indeed. But you still haven't told me what you want," he stopped his stride, stepping aside and taking his suit blazer off.

"Okay, this is what we're gonna do: let's go get some of these ribs and I'll eat some of _your_ corn on the cob because I have a feeling I'll be too full to finish mine. And afterward instead of hard candy, I want to eat some chunky monkey ice cream. I've been craving it for weeks," she told him, hands on her hips.

"You're playing hardball today, I see. What if _I_ wanted my corn on the cob?" he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Stop messing with me, you don't even like corn like that," she smirked. He chuckled and shook his head at her.

"You got me. I'll call for the car m'lady," Daniel joked, pulling out his blackberry.

"Thank you sir," she curtsied, holding the edges of her sundress as she did so. He rolled his eyes, watching as she turned away from him momentarily. He admired her profile as she grinned at a pair of 4-year old looking twins cross the street with their mother. Betty turned back to him expectantly. "All set?" she wondered.

"He'll be here in a bit," he replied, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Yeah, today was going to be pretty phenomenal.

-

"Oh my gosh, I can't get over how good that was," Betty touched her stomach, following Daniel off the elevator of his building. He grinned, fiddling with the keys in his pocket.

"Told you. Just cause I'm a Meade doesn't mean I don't know a good barbeque spot when I see it," he glanced back at her skeptical face as he turned the key.

"Yeah, I'm still 60% sure someone told you about it first, but okay," she smiled. He entered his loft behind her, closing the door securely. Betty sat the plastic bag on his kitchen counter, pulling out the two pints of chunky monkey she'd requested.

"Hmm...I know we just ate an hour ago, but I can't wait to dig into this," she smirked, pulling two spoons out of his drawer.

"You and me both," he raised an eyebrow, making his way to the leather couch in the middle of the room. She sat next to him, kicking her sandals off and curling her legs underneath her.

"Hmm..." Betty groaned after taking the first bite off her spoon, closing her eyes in content. "This is heaven!" she mumbled after putting another spoonful in her mouth.

Daniel glanced at her and chuckled mischievously. "Careful, this ice cream is rated PG-13," he joked, laughing even harder when she hit his shoulder. "Oh. I see what you mean," he savored his bite.

"I know right?" Betty pointed at him. "This is the best I've ever had," Daniel licked the spoon slowly making her burst into giggles.

"Stop it silly," she wiped a bit of ice cream from the corner of her mouth.

"Aw, you love it," he grinned.

"See, now I'm making a mess," she grabbed a tissue off the coffee table and wiped away the dollop of ice cream she'd dropped on her leg.

"Yeah, that's not my fault," he watched as she did so, continuing to eat.

"Whatever," she relaxed against the cushions once more. They ate in silence for a few moments, each absorbed in their own thoughts.

Daniel straightened up a bit, sticking his spoon the the frozen goodness. "Hey Betty?"

"Hmm?" her eyes peered over at his.

"I lo-" he began, staring into his pint of ice cream, "I mean, I really like it when we're like this. Outside of work, I mean. When we're just Daniel and Betty, hanging out," he told her. She remained quiet, her brown eyes carefully observing him. "You realize that... you're the only person I've ever been totally at ease with? And it's always been like that with us. I don't have to pretend or put up a front with you because you already know everything." He returned his eyes to her, seeing a small smile on her face.

"I know," she said thoughtfully. "I like that," she added with a grin, placing a bit of ice cream on the tip of her spoon.

"Me too," Daniel replied, leaning forward to place his carton aside. Betty watched him lean back on the sofa, his familiar blue orbs giving her a curious gaze. "What?" he asked.

"You're a great person. You know that?" she said, resting an arm on the back of the sofa.

"I am?" he raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Yeah. And an even better friend. But you don't give yourself enough credit," Betty told him, resting her face on the palm of her hand.

"I don't?" Daniel questioned.

"Nope," she sighed, moving slightly on the couch. "You've been nothing short of amazing to me these last few months. I don't know what I would've done without you, Daniel."

He smiled at her admission, breaking his gaze away from hers. "Well..." he cleared his throat, eyes still focused on the decorative rug beneath his feet. "I don't know what I would've done without you after Molly. You made life bearable. And I think being able to be there for you has been therapeutic in its own way. It's really given me perspective on things," he explained, looking back up at her.

"What do you mean?" she stifled a yawn, sitting the rest of the ice cream on the table.

"I've just realized some things about myself, about others. I'm really fortunate to have certain people in my life," he replied, holding her gaze for a moment or two longer than he intended.

Betty read his eyes like a book and knew immediately that he was referring her. She smiled the slightest bit at this realization, her pearly whites apparent as ever.

"I'm really fortunate too. You're the best," she leaned over quickly, giving him a peck on the cheek. Betty smirked at the reaction she evoked from the man beside her, a small blush spreading over his cheeks.

"Wow," he sounded astounded as the words flowed out of his mouth.

"What?" she wondered.

"Your lips were _really _cold. And a little sticky," he laughed, getting a classic eye roll in return.

"Funny," was her reply, as she grabbed her half eaten pint and headed toward the freezer, unaware of the sudden intensity of the blue eyes following her across the room.

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***Sigh* I could write about Daniel and Betty _all day_...don't you just love their characters? Hope you guys liked this chapter! Please do review!**


	8. Winds of Change

_Summary: When the unexpected happens, the one man Betty pushed away ends up being the one she needed all along. _

* * *

"No, you guys go on home. I can handle this, there's hardly anything to clean," Betty told Ignacio and Justin.

Her apartment's first ever Independence Day extravaganza had been a success. Just the right amount of guests, just the right amount of food, and plenty of laughter. She was becoming quite the party hostess if she could say so herself.

"I can help Betty with this stuff, it's no problem," Daniel told them, walking across the room. "See? I have all the help I need. You guys go ahead…thanks for the flan, Papi," she hugged them goodbye, telling them to let her know when they made it home safely.

Betty closed the door behind them, leaning against it and releasing a tired sigh. Cool blue eyes rested on her. "Don't tell me you're tired," Daniel said jokingly, grabbing a half-full garbage bag and throwing trash inside.

"Oh yeah, I'm wide awake," she replied cynically, pushing the sleeves up on her shawl and glancing at a few dishes in the sink.

"Betty, just chill out. I can clean up," he told her, noticing she looked overwhelmed.

"It's my apartment. Besides, you don't really know how to clean up," she yawned, picking up trash here and there. He feigned offense, "excuse me…I'll have you know that just because I didn't clean up too much growing up doesn't mean I don't do it now. I'm getting better."

"Sure you are," she replied in disbelief, continuing to clean. "You know what, just sit down," Daniel started to lead her back to the couch, "I'll show you what I mean."

"Daniel, you don't have to do that," she started to argue. "I want to…plus it's the least I can do after that amazing meal," he gently pushed on her shoulders, forcing her to sit on the couch. "Just relax," he advised her, turning around with a smirk on his face.

Her gaze stayed on him for a few moments, observing how he put away the rest of the trash and placed a few glasses in the sink. "Wow look at you. You _are_ good at this," she told him with a smile.

"See? What did I tell you? I'm well rounded," Daniel glanced back at her, winking playfully and just as quickly retracting his hand from the sink. "OW!" he winced in pain, blood seeping from his finger.

"What is it?" Betty rose from her position on the other side of the room, quickly coming to his side.

"I think I…might've cut myself on that knife right there," he replied slightly embarrassed, holding his hand under cool water.

"Oh gosh, Daniel," she rolled her eyes, heading to the bathroom to get a cool cloth and her first aid kit. "That's what you get for trying to be cute," she reappeared a minute later, carefully examining his index finger.

"I wasn't trying to be cute," he mumbled in reply, wincing at how disgusting the cut looked. "Yes you were," Betty reassured him, sticking his hand back under the cool water.

"How's it look? Am I gonna need surgery?" he asked, his face showing worry.

She shook her head at him. "You're such a goofball. How were you ever a womanizer?" Betty held his hand in hers, wiping it with hydrogen peroxide.

"Hey! Now I'm getting offended. You're the worst nurse _ever_," he told her, amused blue eyes watching her laugh.

"Why do I have to be a nurse? Why can't I be the worst doctor ever?" she raised an eyebrow at him as she put some antiseptic on his wound.

"Doctors don't have this much time to bandage people up. Plus you're far too kindhearted. Definitely getting a nurse vibe from you," Daniel smirked.

She grinned at this, carefully wrapping the gauze around his finger. "Aww…aren't you sweet. You're just trying to butter me up so you don't have to pay your bill," her brown eyes glanced back into his playfully as she finished up.

"I wouldn't do that…" he replied grinning. "There we go…all done," she examined her handiwork.

"Thanks Betty," he said. "No problem. Just promise me you'll stay away from sharp objects for awhile, okay?" she patted his shoulder, closing the first aid kit.

"I'll try my best. I guess I still need to work on my well-roundedness," he said.

"Maybe just a little," she returned the kit to the bathroom, hearing the familiar sound of firecrackers in the distance.

"Oh… I wish I could see them," she glanced out the window.

"Well we can, let's go to the roof," he suggested, watching as she grinned.

"What?"

"Yeah, come on. We'll have a better view from up there," he smiled, judging by the look in her eyes that he'd won her over.

"Okay," Betty replied excitedly, grabbing her keys and leading the way out the door, with Daniel close behind.

"I haven't been up here since the party we had last year," Betty commented ascending the final step.

"Wow…I'm surprised no one else is up here," Daniel glanced around quickly.

"Me too. I don't know why I don't come up here more often. Definitely gives a great view of the firework action," she breathed in the humid air. "Sure does. I just realized its been a few years since I've actually seen the display," he said, gazing into the distance.

"Really? Well I'm glad you thought of it," she smiled at him, pausing when a familiar song floated through the air from an apartment window nearby.

"Wow. Someone's partying to slow jams_. _I recognize the song…but who is this?" Daniel asked curiously.

"Selena," she grinned, nostalgic, "man, I love this song."

"Oh that's right," he gazed over at Betty, grinning to himself at how lost she seemed in the lyrics. "Would you like to dance?" she snapped out of her thoughts, turning to him in surprise.

"What?" she asked, looking into his eyes to make sure he was serious. He was.

"You said you love the song…we should dance to it," he held out his non-bandaged left hand, smiling. He really was something else. Betty placed her hand in his and the other on his shoulder. Daniel rested his hand on the small of her back, pulling her closer to him as they began to sway to the music.

_"I could take you in my arms, and never let go…_

_I could fall…in love…with you….I could fall in love…with you, baby…_

_I could only wonder how…touching you would make me feel…but if I take that chance right now, tomorrow will you want me still?_

_So I should, keep this to myself, and never let you know…_

_I could fall…in love, with you (I could fall in love with you) _

_I could fall in love…with you…"_

"I think I see why you love this song so much. It's nice," he smirked. She nodded, "yeah it is."

"This song reminds me of college. My roommate loved this song…her boyfriend used to try to serenade her with it…he was an awful singer but, it was a cute gesture," she told him, continuing. "I always used to wonder back then if anyone would ever love me like that…I wasn't exactly the hottest girl on campus," she laughed lightly, meeting his eyes.

"Well that's because we make the mistake of judging a book by its cover. I know I did when I first met you," he said, "you know I'm really sorry for that, right?"

Betty saw the guilt was over his face at that statement. "Daniel, that was years ago. And _yes_, you've apologized many times for how you behaved. I forgave you, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember," he replied. "We've both come a long way since then, haven't we?" He stared down at Betty, watching her nod in agreement.

"We're both more mature," she said with a grin. He smirked, "very true," his eyes grazed over her. "And I have a fashion sense now," Betty added.

"Well, you've always had a fashion sense…it was just unique. The only difference now is that your outside matches what's inside," she looked confused by his statement. "What I mean is…now _everyone_ can see the confident, intelligent, beautiful woman that I've known for so long. She's just been hiding behind lots of colors and patterns," Daniel explained.

She smiled up at him, touched by his sincerity. "That's sweet," she held his gaze, "you're not still trying to get out of paying your bill, are you?" He laughed, shaking his head, "oh of course not. I wouldn't dream of such a thing."

"Sure," she glanced to her right, having forgotten about the fireworks. "You do realize we're dancing to nothing now right?" she pointed out, still swaying with him to the non-existent music.

"Really? This is my favorite song," he said. "What song?" she laughed at him, then paused as he started singing.

"Stars shining bright above you, night breezes seem to whisper I love you, birds singing in the sycamore tree…dream a little dream of me…" Daniel's voice met her ears. Betty didn't know which she was surprised about more- the fact that he was singing to her or the fact that he wasn't a bad singer. Actually he was quite good…

Betty felt a grin tugging at her lips, and stared up to meet Daniel's steady gaze. "You're just full of surprises tonight, aren't you?" He chuckled, staring as the welcome breeze swept around the two of them.

"Well, I've got to keep you on your toes," he smiled at her.

Betty wasn't sure if it was the margarita she'd had earlier, the fact that they were dancing on the roof, or something else, but in that moment, she wanted nothing more than to mold herself into Daniel's arms and let him hold her as they swayed to the lyrics. The urge left just as quickly as it had come, but the fact that she'd thought that _at all_ was…different…

"…say nighty night and kiss me…just hold me tight and tell me you miss me…while I'm alone and blue as can be…dream a little dream of me…" he spun her around, interrupting her chain of thought and making her giggle. Betty turned back into his arms, the faint scent of his aftershave and deep blue eyes making her head swim all of a sudden. The grin that had been constant on his face slowly faded when he realized how close their faces were.

"Unfortunately, those are the only words to the song I know," he broke the moment of silence between them, turning her back around to put some distance between the two.

Betty smiled, the flush on her cheeks unapparent in the dim lighting. "Well it was still nice. Let me know when your album is coming out," she finally removed her hand from his, ending the trance they were under.

"You'll be the first to know," he glanced down at his bandaged finger, the throbbing pain now more obvious than ever.

"You wanna go back inside? Looks like we missed most of the fireworks," she suggested.

"Yeah. I probably need to head back anyway…we've got a long week ahead of us at work," he added, opening the roof door for her. "Okay," she nodded, walking down the stairs.

Daniel glanced back at the spot they were dancing in just moments before. "Daniel? You coming?" she asked from below.

Daniel shook his head, as if trying to rid it of the thoughts stuck within. He'd have to dissect his feelings some other time.

"Yep, right behind you," he replied, shutting the door behind him.

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**So what do you guys think? Please let me know, I'd love to hear your feedback, thanks!**


	9. And Then

**Disclaimer: Don't own em, just write about em.  
**

**A/N: Thanks for the wonderful reviews everyone! Glad to see you all are enjoying it...so far ;-)**

* * *

"Thanks for coming with me, Betty," he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his suit, watching as she opened her apartment door. She turned around, pulling the keys out with a little tug.

"Sure. I actually had a good time," she replied, noticing a small smirk creep on his lips.

"Good," he nodded, "that was my main objective." Betty grinned at this, as he leaned against the door frame.

"Ah ha! I knew you had a hidden agenda," she accused him jokingly, making him laugh.

"Maybe," he shrugged coolly. "I knew you would talk yourself out of going to the charity event, but if I could get you to come, there'd be a 74% chance you'd actually enjoy yourself. It seems the odds were in my favor," Daniel explained.

She shook her head at him, "so sneaky," she smiled as she sat her items on the dining table.

Daniel quietly observed her from his spot against the wall, his eyes inadvertently traveling up her figure, admiring the knee-length black dress she was wearing. He caught himself staring and glanced away quickly, standing upright.

"Are you going to actually come in or strike GQ poses in the doorway all night?" she asked him, eliciting a laugh. Daniel stepped over the threshold, closing the familiar door behind him.

"You want something to drink?" she asked him, walking over to the refrigerator. He loosened his tie, "depends. What you got?"

"Hmm…sparkling grape juice, white wine, apple juice, and a near-empty carton of milk. I'm personally going to go with the sparkling grape," she said with a decisive smirk.

"Yeah, I had enough wine earlier. I'll go with the apple juice. On the rocks," he replied, making her giggle. He'd been doing that a lot lately, saying off the wall things to make her smile. Daniel cherished all of Betty's genuine belts of laughter and bright smiles, and knowing he could put one on her face made life less stressful at times. He listened to her chatter on about something someone said at the party, watching her carefully fill their glasses, but paying careful attention to how gracefully the few strands of hair that had fallen from Betty's up-do rested along her neck, and how he had the strongest urge to brush them away with his thumb.

"Daniel?" her voice broke his thought. "What is it?" she wondered.

He felt a small blush on his cheeks, knowing she'd caught him staring. "I umm…your hair...I like it like that," he began, "I mean, you know…it really suits you, Betty."

"Oh…really?" she grinned, handing him his drink, "thanks."

"You're welcome," Daniel took a sip, absentmindedly wiping his clammy palms on the napkin wrapped around the cool glass.

"You wanna pop a movie in or something?" she wondered, stepping out of her heels. "Sure," he said without hesitation, slipping his jacket off and lying it on a chair.

"Do you care what we watch?" she picked up her DVD case, glancing up at him.

"Anything but a sappy love story," he walked over to where she sat, plopping down next to her and propping his feet up on the footrest.

"No argument here," she said, finding one and sliding it in. Daniel grabbed a pillow, stifling a yawn. Maybe he was more tired than he thought.

Betty glanced at him skeptically, "no yawning. I haven't even gotten to the main menu yet," she stood from her crouched position by the player, sitting next to him. "And move your feet over…I'm the one that needs to elevate. Stupid heels," she tried unsuccessfully to nudge his feet out of the way.

He chuckled at her attempt. "No one told you to wear stilettos," he said, as she hit him with a pillow.

"_Not_ funny," she retorted, holding back a grin.

"Here, let me see your feet," Daniel motioned at them. "Hmm?" Betty pushed the play button on the remote.

"Come on, let me see your feet," he looked at her. She rolled her eyes and did as she was told, swinging her legs on top of his lap and scooting to the other end of the sofa to relax against a few pillows. Daniel lightly touched one of her feet, massaging the sore muscles within.

"Wow…" her eyes closed momentarily, relishing the feeling. "I'm an old pro," he told her with his best straight face, being rewarded with a smile.

"Hmm…I'm so sure," she turned toward Wedding Crashers opening credits.

"I didn't know they made stilettos in _this_ size," he held her small foot in his hand.

"I find it hard to believe the editor-in-chief doesn't know that," she replied.

"Okay, you got me there," he smirked, resting his eyes on her. She felt his eyes on her and glanced at him curiously. Daniel focused his attention back on her feet, looking at the tv screen.

"I could get used to this," she mentioned wistfully. He raised an eyebrow amusedly, "what? Getting foot massages?"

"No. Well-yeah, but…that's not what I-" Betty replied, blushing slightly. "I mean…" she stopped mid-sentence, "nevermind."

"No, tell me," he told her.

Betty shook her head, "it's stupid. I don't even know why I- it's nothing," she tried to correct herself, sitting upright and moving her feet off of his lap. Daniel watched as she gave him a nervous smile, leaning forward to grab her glass of sparkling grape off the side table.

Didn't she know by now that she was a terrible liar?

"I could get used to it, too." He said a moment later. Betty's eyes widened with surprise as they locked with his. Of course he'd known what she was talking about…he was her best friend, after all.

"You could?" she asked quietly, her eyes never leaving his.

He nodded, slowly leaning towards her and doing what he'd wanted to for so long, his lips making slight contact with hers in the softest of kisses. Daniel opened his eyelids, staring into Betty's astonished brown eyes. He reflexively moved out of her personal space, trying to make sense of what he'd just done.

"I'm sorry…I shouldn't have, umm…" Daniel rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, clearly embarrassed. Betty watched him stumble over his words wide eyed, the thoughts crowding her mind leaving her with an inability to speak.

"It's getting late and uh…" he stood abruptly and she followed suit. "Oh…okay…yeah…"

Daniel sat his empty glass back on the small table in the kitchen, glancing around for his blazer as if he'd forgotten which way was up. "Yeah…I should probably get going," he rested his hand on the back of the chair where it rested, watching her nod half-heartedly in agreement.

"Right," Betty took a deep breath, realizing she didn't really want him to leave.

"Right." Daniel repeated what she'd said, but not making a move.

"Wait." Her voice stopped him in his tracks. She fidgeted with her fingers nervously, taking a step toward him. "Don't go." Betty's eyes gazed into his, finding herself lost in the familiar blue color as she had so many times before.

Daniel brought his hands to her face, brushing his thumb against her soft cheek. His hand lingered on her neck for longer than it should have, and she felt a small shiver run up her spine when he lightly grazed her loose tendrils.

Betty felt herself being drawn to him then, and Daniel immersed himself in her brown eyes, not wanting to break the spell he was under. He pulled her close, inching forward so there was but a breath between them. She stared into his blue pools, letting out a shaky breath as their foreheads touched.

"Daniel." she said his name in a breathy whisper. Daniel was quite positive that it was the sexiest thing he'd ever heard in his life. He moved ever so slightly, eyes still focused on hers.

"What are we doing?" Betty bit her lip, resting her hands on his shoulders, slowly gliding them down over his chest. His heart was beating just as fast as hers.

Daniel's eyes moved to her lower lip, still moist from where she had bitten it. "I'm kissing you," He brought his lips down to hers, brushing them gently as his eyes swept across hers one final time, almost begging for permission.

"Do you want me to stop?"

* * *

**Hehehehehe! I know, I know...I'm really mean for the cliffhanger, but it's been awhile since I've left ya'll hanging like this. So tell me readers, do you want him to stop? I know what I want him to do...*SNICKERS DEVIOUSLY*...technically the next chapter is written, but I still may modify it. **

**Thanks for reading, next chapter will be up soon!**


	10. The Turning Point

**Disclaimer: Don't own em, just write about em.  
**

**A/N: Such wonderful and nice reviews! Thanks so much!  
**

* * *

"Do you want me to stop?"

"No," she whispered.

Her eyes didn't object, and neither did her lips as he encased them with his own, kissing her soft and gentle, but with fervor unparalleled. Betty's hands slid down his muscular torso, gripping the soft cotton of his button down shirt.

Something had been released within her, a fire burning desire for this man deep inside that she didn't know she possessed until this very moment. His fingers caressed her bare arms and shoulders, gliding down her sides and resting on her hips, curves he'd yearned to explore for so long now his to roam.

She returned his kisses with equal passion, pulling him as close as physically possible. Betty gasped when her back hit something hard- then realized he'd hastily backed her against the wall, and had started trailing kisses along the nape of her neck. She let out a soft moan as shaky hands felt for the buckle of his belt.

Her hands briefly brushed against the growing bulge in his slacks, eliciting a groan in response. Daniel's fingers fell upon Betty's zipper, and he slowly slid it down her back, the soft fabric collapsing on the floor moments later. He stopped kissing her, breathing heavily and admiring the black lace bustier she wore under the dress. Betty held his gaze, creeping her touch along his waist, lightly tracing the rim of his boxer briefs with her finger. His heart was racing...she was driving him crazy. Daniel stroked the ridge of her breasts, cupping them gently. Betty took in a sharp breath and his intense eyes met hers again.

She covered his lips with her own, suddenly feeling herself being lifted off the ground, heading in the direction of her bedroom.

Her feet touched the ground again as he broke the kiss, stepping out of his slacks. Daniel's eyes skimmed the length of her body keenly, slowly unbuttoning his shirt as he did so. Betty watched him impatiently, suddenly feeling very cold without him touching her.

Betty reached for the few bobby pins in her hair, releasing her long brown locks from the bun they had been in. She helped slide the crisp cotton shirt down his chiseled arms, tugging his boxers down as well. His hands caressed her backside, carefully removing the only article of clothing separating them from each other.

"You're so beautiful," Daniel told her, his blue eyes lost in her brown. She felt herself blush, smirking as his hand snaked around her neck, bringing her closer so their lips could meet once more. He molded himself into her soft curves, cherishing the feel of her bare skin against his. She closed her eyes and sighed, slightly tilting her head back for him as tenderly kissed the nape of her neck, careful not to miss an inch.

He laid her down on the bed, kissing her passionately. She spread her legs for him and Daniel entered her slowly, savoring the feeling of her surrounding him.

He began to work meticulously, small moans escaping Betty's mouth with each push as he plunged deeper inside of her. Betty held on to him for dear life, lightly scraping her nails against his moist flesh. It was as if his body was speaking to hers, completely in tune with everything she'd ever wanted or needed.

Their lips met fervently, and he groaned at the electrifying sensations coursing through his body. Betty felt herself on the brink of no return, biting her lip in anticipation and wrapping her legs tightly around his waist. She climaxed, closing her eyes in pleasure.

"Betty…" Daniel said throatily, burying his head in her neck when he reached his peak. He lay on top of her for a few moments, immersing himself in her chocolate depths. Daniel let his fingers tangle in her damp locks, kissing her deeply.

He lifted himself up, giving her some breathing space and rested in the spot next to her. Betty turned toward him, lying flat on her stomach.

"You okay?" he asked her, tracing small circles along the length of her back.

She nodded silently, looking into his concerned blue eyes. "I can't believe we just did that," Betty said softly, watching Daniel raise an eyebrow. "I know," he swallowed hard.

"What are you thinking right now?"

Daniel let out a small sigh, running his hand down her arm and grabbing her hand, caressing it in his. "I'm thinking that things are going to be different now."

"Well…yeah," she replied.

"But maybe that's not a bad thing," he added, bringing her hand to his lips. Daniel saw the tears form at the corners of her eyes. "Do you wish we hadn't?"

She shook her head no, furiously blinking tears away.

"Then why are you crying?" he wondered.

"I'm scared," she sniffled, wetting the spot on the pillow with her tear. "Scared?"

"Of the way I feel when I'm around you. And how I miss you when I'm not. I'm scared because... I've never felt this way before, not even about…"

"Matt." Daniel finished the sentence for her, and she nodded in response.

"I just…I don't wanna lose you, too," Betty sniffled.

Daniel moved closer to her, kissing her shoulder gently. "Hey," he stared into her tearful gaze. "You're _not_ gonna lose me," he squeezed her hand.

"You don't know that, Daniel," she answered, letting out a shaky breath.

"You're right. But I know I'm not going anywhere. There's nowhere else I'd rather be than with you."

Betty stared deep into his soulful eyes, and automatically she felt more at ease. She grinned through her tears, and Daniel kissed her cheek, catching a tear before it could reach the pillow. He tangled his fingers in her long locks, staring into her eyes and watching as her eyelids got heavy.

Once he was satisfied that she was asleep, he pulled the thick sheet up over both of them, whispering words unheard by the sleeping beauty beside him before he drifted into a peaceful sleep: "I love you Betty."

* * *

**Okay, this was like, my first Daniel and Betty sex scene, which is surprising considering how much of them I've written. Hope it wasn't too awkward, lol. **

**Now, I have a plot twist or two in mind, but if you guys don't want to see that for this story, I won't do it to ya (hehehehe)...but let me know what you think of the chapter. Thanks for reading as always :-)  
**


	11. This Changes Everything

**Disclaimer: Don't own em, just write about em.  
**

**A/N: Your reviews for the last chapter REALLY blew me away...so glad you were pleased with the Detty love! Sorry for the delay!  
**

* * *

Matt Hartley stepped off the private plane, the humid air from the already steamy Manhattan summer morning greeting him as he stepped onto the jet bridge.

"Thanks for flying with us Mr. Marshall. Enjoy your stay in New York," one of the flight attendants smiled at him. He nodded courteously back at her, tucking his ticket into his suit had taken Matt some time to adjust to being called Mr. Marshall. Derek Marshall to be precise…he'd been Derek for eight long months…entirely too long for his liking. But it had been essential for his safety.

Before boarding that fateful flight to Botswana on that early January morning, he'd been unfortunate enough to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. It'd been a high-profile case, some convicted drug-dealers turned killers had broken out of prison and finished the job they'd started. Matt had seen everything, and that certainly wasn't good.

Before he knew it, he was sitting in some FBI office listening to them explain why entering the witness protection program was 'absolutely necessary' for the safety of not only himself, but those around him.

He was told it wouldn't be a lengthy stay, that they'd catch the culprit fairly quickly due to the number of leads and description of the guy. So Matt had waited patiently, living in the small apartment they'd leased him in Washington and working as a bank manager.

One month had turned into two, winter to spring and spring to summer. After a while, he'd resigned himself to the fact that no one would ever call him Matt Hartley again, that he was destined to be Derek Marshall for the rest of his life.

Then came the call a couple of weeks ago- news that it was over, that the man who'd put a hit out on him had been murdered and his life was no longer in jeopardy. It seemed surreal, he couldn't quite grasp it at first, but here he was, finally back home. He let out a sigh, rolling the compact luggage behind him and shielding his eyes from the blazing July heat. The government had already contacted his parents and told them exactly what had been going on, that there only son was alive and well. Better that way than showing up on their doorstep, he reasoned, grinning to himself.

He sighed in relief as the town car pulled up to the curb and his mother and father stepped out. The joy and elation on their faces mirrored his emotion as he was wrapped up in hugs, feeling his mother's fresh tears on his face. He climbed into the backseat with the two of them, talking briefly about life as Derek Marshall and the stark contrast it held to his real life.

It really put things into perspective, helped him to see how great of a life he lived and how he missed it terribly. With that statement, an image of Betty ran through Matt's head as it had so many times in the last 8 months. Except this time, it wasn't filled with what ifs and a longing in his heart to see her again.

This time, his heart soared at the thought of seeing her again, of telling her how much he loved and missed her.

This time, nothing would tear them apart.

Betty opened her eyes slowly, instantly comforted by the feeling of Daniel's arm resting securely around her torso. A small grin tugged at her lips as she turned around to face him. She lifted her eyebrows in surprise when she met his eyes, wide awake and focused on her.

"Morning," Daniel grinned at her.

"Good morning. How long have you been awake?" she wondered.

"Not too long," he glided his hand up her bare arm, eliciting goosebumps on her flesh. "How'd you sleep?" Daniel rested his palm on her cheek, admiring how beautiful she looked, her long brown locks cascading over the pillow. She blushed faintly at the intense look in his eyes, knowing she would've felt weak in the knees had she been standing. "Good," Betty grinned, a hint of the shyness she used to possess evident as ever.

"You're blushing," he smiled, making her giggle.

"Well…that's what happens when you look at me like _that_," she said pointedly.

"Like what?" he was curious, watching as she let out a sigh, snuggling a bit closer to him.

"Like I'm the most amazing, captivating thing you've ever laid eyes on," Betty explained, "it makes me feel…oh I don't know…" she searched for the right words. "Warm and fuzzy."

Daniel chuckled at the description she'd chosen and she started laughing as well. "Don't make fun," she hit his shoulder.

"Well it's really your fault for looking so beautiful in the morning. So if I get lost in you and forget other people are around, you can't blame me," he interlaced his fingers with hers, bringing her hand to his lips.

"That's how you made me feel last night. Like I was the only woman on Earth," Betty admitted truthfully, her tone more serious than before.

"That's how I felt too," he reflected, watching the smile on her face get bigger, "I mean...besides the whole woman part," Daniel corrected himself.

She snuggled in closer to him, pressing her lips against his. He grinned against her kiss as she pulled him on top of her, their legs getting tangled in the cotton sheets. Betty glided her hand along his spine, and he pulled away from their heated kiss, letting out a ragged breath. She smiled up at him, tracing his jawline, resisting the urge to laugh at the brown hair in disarray on his head.

"What is it?"

Daniel gazed down at her, letting out a sigh. "Nothing, it's just…I don't want to ruin this."

"What do you mean?" she was taken aback.

"Well…I kind of have a habit of rushing into relationships…I mean, I know what we did last night skipped a few steps but…" he shifted his weight off of her, propping himself up on his elbow. "I just want us to be on the same page with everything. I want to get it right this time," he explained, sliding his thumb against her collarbone.

"I understand," she grinned at him. "I want that too."

He smirked, feeling his heart swell in contentment. "Good, because there's something I need to tell y-" he said, eyes darting to the ringing telephone on her nightstand. She cringed, giving it a quick glance.

"It's okay, answer it," he told her.

"Sorry. Hold that thought," Betty leaned over, picking the phone up off of the cradle, recognizing Hilda's cell on the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Betty? What's wrong with your cell?"

"Morning to you too sis. I must've left it in the other room. What's up?" she answered.

"Umm…so you're still in bed?" Hilda replied, her voice sounding weary. Betty frowned at this.

"Yeah, I just woke up a while ago. Why? Is it the baby? Is something wrong?" Betty stifled a yawn.

"No it's not me. It's…you're not going to believe me…this is crazy," Hilda said.

"What's crazy? What are talking about?" Betty sat up, Daniel staring at her curiously.

"It's- turn it on headline news," Betty heard Hilda sigh exasperated. Whatever this was, it must've been a big deal.

"Okay. Hold on," she slid out of Daniel's embrace and out of bed, his mischievous blue eyes glued to her as she grabbed her robe. She walked into the living area as she secured it around her, picking the remote up.

"Sit down first Betty," Hilda advised.

"Uhh…okay. Now you're scaring me," Betty finally found the channel she was searching for and nearly dropped the phone.

_"Matt Hartley, former editor of Mode magazine and son of business mogul Cal Hartley, is indeed alive. It seems as if Mr. Hartley was involved in something dangerous and has spent the last several months in the Federal Witness Protection Program and arrived back home just this morning. Mr. Hartley was believed to have perished in a plane bound for Africa in mid-January. Only the plane's wreckage had been recovered up to this point. The Hartleys are planning a small news conference tomorrow afternoon. We'll be reporting live from there with a full report. Back to you, Jen." _

"Betty? Are you there? Are you okay?" Hilda asked on the other end. Betty felt the tears fill her eyes, and she cleared her throat. This couldn't be happening.

"I'm still here," she answered, biting her lip. "I uh…thanks for- for letting me…know," Betty told her absently.

"Betty, I'm here if you need me okay?" Hilda reminded her.

"Okay. Okay. I'll talk to you later," she said, turning towards her room, hearing his footsteps.

"Hey...is everything okay with Hilda?" Daniel wondered groggily. He stopped in his tracks, a feeling of dread taking over his senses when he saw the look in her eyes.

"What's the matter?" he frowned, instantly waking up a bit more. His gaze fell on the TV and the images on the screen. He stood still next to the couch, immobile for a few seconds as the news sunk in.

"Oh. _Oh_," Daniel ran a hand over his face, letting out a sigh. He sat down next to her, feeling like he'd just gotten the wind knocked out of him. He closed his eyes and opened them again, the words on the screen running through his mind over and over.

Daniel looked at Betty, her teary gaze focused on the floor. "Hey," he said gently, covering her hand with his, "are you okay?"

Betty glanced back at him, a warm tear rolling down her cheek. "I don't know," she shrugged, "this doesn't seem real. All this time he…I can't believe this..." She shook her head in disbelief, standing from the couch and rubbing her temples.

He couldn't believe it either.

It'd taken almost seven weeks to get her to smile again, to really smile. Two and and half months until he heard a genuine laugh escape from her lips. Three months for her to really accept that sometimes terrible things happened without explanation.

Somewhere along the way, Daniel had stopped denying the fact that they were _just_ Daniel and Betty: boss and former assistant, best friends, confidants. He'd fallen in love with her. Now that he'd accepted it, he couldn't remember a time when he didn't feel this way, it was such a part of him now.

So where did they go from here? The man who'd unknowingly drawn them together could just as easily tear apart what they'd found. This changed everything.

-

* * *

**Okay, don't hate me, but this was the plan all along. I like a bit of drama...don't worry though, you know I'm a hardcore shipper. Please review! Thanks for reading and sorry again about the delay, I'm just really really busy. I'll update as soon as I can!**


	12. Uncertainties

**Disclaimer: Don't own em, just write about em.  
**

**A/N: Hope I haven't lost too many readers with the lack of updates...if you're reading this, that means you're still interested, which makes me smile. Thanks for the reviews!  
**

* * *

It was Monday. Mondays were never particularly great for the editor-in-chief. Running from meeting to meeting, still sluggish from usually having slept in over the weekend, Daniel never fully woke up until lunchtime.

This Monday wasn't any different, except on top of it all, Mode was abuzz with talk of Matt Hartley's sudden reappearance from the dead over the weekend. It felt like he was stuck in the middle of a bad dream.

He'd been dodging reporters all morning, barricading himself inside his office for as long as possible. He'd been making every attempt to not check his phone every fifteen minutes for a message or missed call from Betty, having failed miserably. They hadn't talked since he left her place late Saturday morning.

He ran hands over his face, breathing deeply, an attempt to calm his nerves. Maybe that extra espresso hadn't been a good idea after all. A soft knock at his door caused him to glance up, the woman who'd been running through his head all day stood on the other side.

He stood unceremoniously from his desk, knocking a folder to the ground as he motioned her inside.

"Hi," Betty greeted him, closing the door securely behind her.

"Hey…" Daniel replied, placing the contents of the folder back where they'd been. He let out a sigh, his eyes doing a once over of her pastel floral dress. She looked great. His blue eyes drifted down to his designer shoes as he ran a hand over his nicely trimmed beard, trying to find the right words to say.

"I'm sorry I didn't call you yesterday," she said softly, walking towards him. Daniel shook his head, "it's alright."

"You okay?" he watched her apprehensively fiddle with her hands.

"I umm…" she stared out the window, eyes full of threatening tears. "This is just a lot right now. I think I might need some space to absorb the weight of it all," Betty lightly touched her temple.

Daniel felt his stomach drop and swallowed the fear growing in his chest. That's what he was afraid she'd say, but at the same time, knew it was what she needed. Her brown eyes drifted back to him, always managing to convey exactly what she was feeling.

"I know you do. I understand," his fingertips grazed the cool metal edge of his desk.

Then he asked the question that had been plaguing him for the past 48 hours, the one he thought he already knew the answer to. "Have you...you know, talked to him?"

Betty glanced down briefly, then met his eyes again, almost as if she was afraid to reply. "Umm…yesterday. On the phone. He said he- he wants to have dinner," she shrugged.

Daniel nodded slowly, his eyes cast downward. Of course he did. If he hadn't seen or talked to Betty in eight months he'd go damn near insane. He looked back up at her, giving her a small almost-grin and stuffing his hands in his pockets. Daniel moved closer to where she stood near the ottoman.

His mouth slightly parted to say something, but he stopped himself. 'Are you going to tell him about us?' Daniel almost asked, then realized that the 'us' in question had yet to be defined, and that perhaps he was foolish to even think it mattered. Maybe he'd just been a replacement for what wasn't there this whole time. And now that Matt was back, everything that had happened was irrelevant.

He stared down at her speechless, her chocolate depths staring right back into his with a vulnerability that made him want to take her in his arms and go somewhere far away from all this madness.

Betty looked up at Daniel, his blue eyes looking lost as they searched hers. This was all so much for them to comprehend. She wasn't even sure how to feel about all of this.

"Daniel, I'm sorry this is happening," she blurted out, feeling her voice break but determined to keep her emotions under wraps.

"What?" he said concerned.

"Everything is so crazy right now. This doesn't even feel real," Betty sighed.

"Hey," his hands touched her shoulders, "you don't have to apologize to me, okay? It's not your fault. It's no one's fault," he said reassuringly.

"It doesn't feel that way," she brushed a hand against her forehead.

"It's gonna be alright," he said, not sure of who needed to hear those words more. His fingers glided against the warm flesh of her shoulders, and in an instant they were back in her bedroom, bodies meshed together, only sweat between them. Betty swallowed hard, shaking her head of the memory and taking a step away from Daniel. "Umm…I'm going to try to get some work done, okay? I'm already a little behind on things, so…"

He nodded, wishing he didn't suddenly feel so alone. "Right. Okay then," he crossed his arms over his chest, releasing a heavy sigh. "I'll see you later."

Betty adjusted the tote on her shoulder before exiting his office, "okay. I'll see you."

* * *

Betty closed the front door of her family home, leaning against it in exhaustion. "Hey sis," she heard Hilda's voice from the living room.

"Hey," Betty replied, sitting her things down. She smiled broadly at her baby niece, sucking peacefully on her pacifier. "Hi Maria. Hi honey...you're such a cutie pie. Yes you are," she said in a sweet voice, running a hand over Maria's full head of hair.

"How's Bobby?" she sat down next to her.

"He's good. Justin's helping him get some stuff ready for the house," she explained.

"Next week is the big move-in. You getting excited?"

"Yeah I am. But enough about me. You came over here to talk. How are you feeling?" Hilda cradled the small infant in her arms, watching with a grin as she closed her eyes.

"This is so crazy. I'd finally gotten to the point where I could say I was moving on, and come to find out…he's been _alive_ this entire time," Betty closed her eyes, leaning against the plush sofa cushions.

"Maybe this is a blessing in disguise, ya know?"

"I don't know about that..." Betty took a deep breath, giving Hilda a sideways glance.

"What? What aren't you telling me?"

"Things are more complicated than they seem Hilda…" she stood from the couch.

"Well how about you try and explain it to me," Hilda watched as Betty poured herself some lemonade.

"Daniel and I…we…the morning you called… we were together. In bed…"

Hilda's eyes popping out of her head would have been comical had Betty been in a better mood. "What? I mean, I knew you two were getting closer, but I…_oh_," she looked at Betty surprised. "That does complicate things a bit, huh?"

"Yeah. Just a little…" Betty finished off her glass of lemonade in record time, sitting it on the kitchen table.

"You and Daniel. Hmm…" Hilda said thoughtfully, rocking the baby ever so slightly.

"What?"

"It all makes sense. I should've seen it coming really. All the time you've spent together, and both of you obviously care a great deal about each other…I'm just sayin', when a man and woman are as good of friends as you two are, one person generally ends up having feelings for the other. Not always but, more often than not."

"The thing is…it didn't feel weird when we were together. It felt-"

"Natural?" Hilda finished for her knowingly. Betty nodded. "I'm so confused…"

"Do you still love him?" Hilda asked.

"What?"

"Matt. Do you still love him?" Betty held her sister's gaze. She thought she knew the answer, but she didn't.

"I don't-" she faltered, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm not sure."

* * *

Daniel set behind his office desk, tapping his pen against it absentmindedly, his eyes focused on one of the office chairs in front of him. It was late, he knew. Past the time he usually stayed, even when he worked late. Mostly everyone had gone home for the day, and the media craziness from earlier had died down significantly.

"Daniel?" Claire said her son's name from the doorway, coming to check on him after Amanda told her he was working late. He continued to tap his pen against the edge of the desk, lost in his thoughts.

"_Daniel._" His head snapped up this time, and he sat up in his chair. "Mom. I didn't see you there," he cleared his throat, glancing at his watch. "I was just about to head home," he gave her a quick grin, shutting down his laptop and closing it.

"Yes. I can see that," her stilettos clicked against the floor as she walked into his office. "You've probably got a lot on your mind," she crossed her arms, watching as he gathered his things.

"There's the understatement of the week," he laughed cynically.

"This is all quite unbelievable. How's Betty handling this? Have you spoken with her?" she wondered.

He put the necessary items in his briefcase, and glanced back up at her. "She's handling it." He was short with her, and hadn't meant to be. Daniel was full of so much emotion he didn't know how to act right now.

"Sorry," he apologized for his tone, seeing Claire's face. "I just-it's a lot to deal with right now," he attempted to explain.

"You don't have to apologize. I know," she gave his shoulder a squeeze.

"Not exactly, Mom. You don't know the whole story."

Claire took a step back to look at her son. "What? About you and Betty?"

"How'd you know?"

"Daniel, give me some credit. I've seen the way you two look at each other," she smiled.

Daniel glanced away, turning to one of the windows and admiring the bright lights of the city. "That's why I know everything that transpired this weekend has been difficult for you. For the both of you."

He leaned his head against the cool glass, closing his eyes briefly. He saw her face, her smile, the warm feeling he felt when she was near. He already missed it. "I love her." Daniel felt the sting as tears filled his eyes, as one escaped down his cheek.

"What?" she wasn't sure she heard him right, he'd said it so quietly.

"I'm in love with her, Mom," he attempted to keep his voice steady, and took a deep breath to control the emotions raging within.

Claire felt her heart breaking as she stared at her son, his shoulders slumped, defeated as she'd ever seen him. She watched as he tried to wipe the moisture from his face discreetly. He'd always been that way. Daniel had always been such a sweet child, having a tendency to wear his heart on his sleeve. He'd been trained by Bradford for so many years to keep his emotions inside, that in moments like these when he unveiled them, he sometimes still tried to hide them, for fear of being perceived as weak.

"I want to give her space, and time to sort things out. It's what she needs. They have a history and I need to respect that. We've just spent so much time together...I know I'll see her at work, but...it's different. I don't know what to do."

Claire moved to stand next to him, placing a comforting arm around him. "Don't give up on love, Daniel. These last eight months didn't happen by mistake." Daniel turned toward his mother, the determined look in her eyes giving him hope.

"You and Betty have a history too. And a bond that I believe is strong enough to withstand anything. Fight for her."

* * *

**Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Sorry it took me so long, I had to add in some things, take some stuff out, etc. I really appreciate all your feedback. Thanks for reading! I have a light schedule this weekend, so look for an update.**


	13. Like He Never Left

**Disclaimer: Don't own em, just write about em.  
**

**A/N: Yay! I was able to get this chapter done! So appreciative of all the reviews and story alerts and stuff. The wonderful reviews make me want to update sooner, but my schedule is insane. You all may be a bit upset after this chapter, but it'll get better ;-) Also, if there are any typos, I apologize, it's late but I wanted to get this up. Thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

Betty froze in place, looking at herself in the full-length mirror, running hands down the sides of her form-fitting dress. She'd been doing that for the last fifteen minutes, between nervously pacing her apartment and glancing at her watch.

She was as frazzled as she'd ever been, reminding herself to breathe deeply and that this wasn't a big deal. Of course, that couldn't have been further from the truth, because it was in fact, a _very_ big deal. It wasn't everyday that you went out to dinner with your ex-boyfriend who was as of last week assumed to be dead. Unless of course you were a lead character on Days of our Lives, she thought cynically, jumping slightly when she heard him knocking at the door again.

"Here goes nothing," Betty said to herself, grabbing her purse and unlocking the door. It creaked slightly in protest as she pulled it to her, the air from the hallway bringing the scent of his cologne into her apartment.

The sight of him nearly knocked her off her feet. It shouldn't have, being that she was expecting to see him there, but it did. His warm brown eyes stared down at her, happiness exuding from every inch of his face.

"Hi Betty," Matt greeted her after a short sigh, his right hand resting on her doorframe, his left holding a bouquet of roses.

"Hi," she finally let herself smile, and felt her nervousness dissipating. "These are beautiful," Betty told him, holding the dozen roses in her arms.

"So are you. I missed you so much, Betty," Matt said, stepping forward and lightly touching her cheek. She closed her eyes momentarily, pushing the guilt she felt away when the memory of Daniel standing in that very spot, lightly touching her cheeks flooded her mind.

"Thank you. I've missed you too," she rested her hand over his, taking a step back. "Let me just put this in a vase and then we can head out," she cleared her throat and turned with a smile, doing as she said.

Matt stuffed his hands in his pockets, glancing around her brightly decorated place, realizing it looked as if he'd never left. Betty finished filling the vase with water and turned back to Matt. He was grinning at her, that wonderful smile she'd missed so terribly was hers to enjoy smiled back, placing her hand in his and closing the apartment door behind her.

But one thought plagued her as she walked with him into the warm summer night, the cool breeze blowing her long tresses over her shoulder: why didn't she _feel_ as happy as she looked?

* * *

Daniel crushed the cool beer can in between his fingers, lazily sitting it on the coffee table beside the couch. The aluminum tipped over weightlessly, falling easily to the floor to join the two other cans already there. He released a thick breath and closed his eyes, throwing an arm over his face and stretching out on the couch.

Daniel knew he was a pitiful sight to behold- drowning his sorrows in cheap beer, lying about as if he had nothing to live for. He'd even taken out his still half-eaten pint of chunky monkey ice cream from weeks before, finishing it in record time. Even he knew it was pathetic.

He'd been feeling a bit optimistic after he talked to his mom a few days ago, but wasn't feeling up to anything at the moment. The week had come and gone pretty quickly. Not only was he tired from the meetings he'd had this week, but emotionally drained more than anything. It was difficult for him to put what he was feeling into words. Needless to say, he'd been in much better moods. 

_Knock-knock-knock. _Daniel slightly turned toward his door, glancing at his watch. Who could be here at…_oh_. It was Friday at 9:21 and he was lying on his couch. "Nice, Meade…" he muttered under his breath, getting up from the couch and slowly walking to the door. 

_Knock-knock-knock. _"Who is it?" he cleared his throat, running a hand through his hair.

"It's me. Betty." He felt his heart rate increase in a millisecond, and he quickly began gathering a few items off the floor, including the beer cans that had just joined the mess.

"Okay. Just a minute…" he placed as many items as he could into the trash, his eyes doing a quick sweep of the room before he turned around to face the door. He unlocked it hastily, opening it wide so she could come in.

"Hey." Daniel leaned against the door, smirking as she stepped over the threshold. "Hey," she greeted, taking in his appearance.

"Sorry about the mess. I would've straightened up more had I known you were coming by," he closed the door, stuffing his hands in his sweats.

"It's okay…I should've called," Betty apologized. "I just needed to talk. It couldn't wait until tomorrow," she sat her purse on the table adjacent to the couch, leaning against its spine.

"What? Is something wrong?" he frowned, walking closer to her.

"No. I just miss you," she told him, brown eyes gazing into his, casting their spell easily.

"I miss you too, Betty," he answered, watching as she moved closer to him. She rested her hands on his broad shoulders, running her hands down the front of his shirt slowly.

"I talked to Matt. About us," she began.

"You…did?" Daniel felt himself tense up. She nodded, tracing the seam on the end of his cotton t-shirt. "What did he say?" he wondered.

"He knows how much we care for each other. How much we need each other…"

"Make love to me, Daniel. I just want to forget about everything and everyone else. I need you. I love you," her breath was hot on his neck as she nibbled on his earlobe. He let in a sharp breath when he felt her hands slip beneath his sweats, exploring the flesh underneath.

"I love you too..." Daniel gazed down into her soulful eyes, crashing his lips down on hers hungrily. He pulled her closer, picking her up swiftly and placing her on the kitchen counter. He reached underneath her sundress, easily sliding her panties down her legs. He kissed her neck, and she roughly tugged his sweats and boxers down, wrapping her legs around his waist.

Daniel entered her slowly, relishing in the familiarity of her walls surrounding his shaft. She moaned as he grabbed her hips, moving her rhythmically as he delved deeper inside of her. Betty's moans intensified as she arched her back for him, biting her lower lip...

Daniel opened his eyes suddenly as the beeping phone brought him out of his dream. He breathed deeply, trying to calm his racing heart and reached for his cell.

A text message from Alexis: 'Mom told me about everything. I know you're going through it right now, but know that I'm only a phone call away if you need to talk.' Daniel set his phone aside, letting out a groan of frustration, rubbing his temples. "No more beer and ice cream for me," he thought aloud, standing from the couch and heading for the shower.

* * *

"Wow...that's crazy. Did you like being a bank manager?" Betty twirled her spaghetti expertly around her fork, taking a small bite. Their evening had gone well so far. Betty had to admit, the conversations between the two of them had always flowed easily...it was almost like he never left.

"It was okay. Boring, I guess...but okay. It's not in my future career plans..." he chuckled, his expression turning more serious as he held her gaze. "I'm hoping that my future still includes you," Matt began, reaching for her hand. Betty glanced down at his hand resting on top of hers, a sight that at one time made her heart race with excitement and butterflies go crazy in her stomach. But in that moment, she felt neither of those things.

"Matt…" Betty slid her hand away from him and rested it on her lap. "There's something you should know..."

Matt looked concerned, worry etched on his familiar features. "What is it?"

"You were gone…for a long time..." she took a deep breath.

"Right..." he nodded, urging her to continue.

"A lot of things have changed since then. It doesn't seem like it to you right now, but...it has..."

Matt let out a sigh, studying her face. This was starting to worry him. "What are you trying to say?"

"The thing is...Daniel and I…we…we're not _just_ friends anymore." Betty swallowed hard, preparing herself for his reaction.

"Wait. What? You and Daniel?' he looked shocked, then glanced back down at his empty plate, shaking his head. Matt closed his eyes, feeling something like anger, betrayal, and hurt all wrapped into one. But it hit him-

He had no right to react this way. Everyone thought he was _dead_ for goodness sakes. Of course things had changed. He really shouldn't have been surprised. He had after all, accused them of sleeping together at one time. After he and Betty had reconciled, Matt had this lingering feeling that Daniel felt something for Betty, never the other way around though. Maybe he'd been in denial all this time he was away, really thinking that something like this wouldn't bring them closer together. Daniel had gone through the exact same thing with Molly not too long ago. Who better to help her through the ordeal?

"Matt, I'm sorry. It's just that-"

"Don't apologize, Betty. You just caught me off guard. I have no right to be upset with either of you," he told her, relief evident in her posture. "I understand how that could've happened," he shrugged, admitting it out loud.

Betty looked down at her half-eaten pasta, clearing her throat. "I never meant for it to happen. It just did," she brought a hand to her forehead.

"Look," Matt leaned forward, motioning for her to put her hands in his. "I know I turned everybody's world upside down a week ago, and what you just told me complicates the hell out of things, but the entire time I was away, you never left my mind," his brown eyes gazed into hers.

"It gave me time to think, you know? How stupid I was to go off to pursue some 'passion' of mine when I'd already found what I was passionate about right in New York. _You_. I never stopped loving you, Betty. And I'm not saying this to pressure you or because I expect anything, I just know now how important it is to tell people how you feel when given the chance."

Betty felt the fresh tears sting her eyes, and she found herself blinking them away. "I never stopped loving you, either. I'm so glad you're here." her eyes glistened as he brought her hands to his lips.

Matt grinned, caressing her hands. "Me too."

* * *

**Okay, I know, I know lots of Matt & Betty...but I'm trying to imagine myself in Betty's situation. I definitely wouldn't wanna trade places with her. Or would I? *smirks mischievously* **

**_Please review, they mean a lot to me!_**


	14. Late Night Musings and Misunderstandings

**AN: Hi all, I'm ALIVE! You know how life is from time to time. I'd stopped writing for awhile, but during this break in my schedule I'd gotten back on the website, read some reviews and got inspired to finish some things up. I really missed writing Daniel/Betty...I truly miss their characters and the dynamic they had. That being said, hope you guys enjoy the rest of the story!  
**

* * *

Betty stared at her tired reflection in the bathroom mirror as she patted her face dry. The last month had been hectic to say the least. Things had gotten so busy at work she'd only had time to obsess over her current situation once she got home. She'd barely had time to schedule a brief lunch with Matt last week, uneventful as it was.

Betty pulled her hair into a loose ponytail, exiting the bathroom and crawling under her sheets. After making sure her alarm was set, she lay still in bed, staring at the ceiling. It was nights like these that had gotten to her recently.

Thoughts of Daniel crowded her head, as they usually did this time of night. She missed him terribly.

Seeing him everyday at work and exchanging polite words weren't enough. Betty wanted to hear his voice. She missed watching his blue eyes light up when she told a joke. She wanted to be near him again.

Betty rolled over, picking up her phone and allowing her finger to linger over speed dial 1, A routine she'd found herself doing almost every other night the last week.

How pathetic was it that she couldn't call him? This was Daniel for crying out loud! Pathetic, she knew. But tonight was different. Tonight, she missed him something awful.

It was simple enough. She'd just call and strike up a conversation. Just like they used to. Sounded easy. Betty took a deep breath, suddenly feeling encouraged. Just as she was going to press the button, the phone began to vibrate, Betty nearly dropping it to the ground in the process.

Amanda's familiar number appeared on screen, and while she seriously contemplated ignoring her at this hour, the friend in her didn't have the heart to do so.

"Yes Amanda?" she sat up in bed.

"Oh wow. You actually answered. Why are you awake?" Amanda's shrill voice replied.

"If you thought I was asleep, then why did you-" Betty rolled her eyes, "nevermind. What is it?"

"Well…I kind of need to talk to you. I don't need a favor or anything. Well, it actually IS sort of a favor but it doesn't have anything to do with me. Can I come over?" she asked.

"Umm, it's almost midnight. Can it wait until tomorrow?"

"No. It's about Daniel. I wanted to tell you today, but things are busy at work. Seriously, I'm as tired if not more exhausted than you are. Just let me in."

Betty heard Amanda's voice on the other side of the door. She slid out from underneath the light cover, sitting her phone aside and padding to the door.

Betty unlocked the door carefully, finding Amanda posted against the frame, feigning boredom as she looked at her nails. "Took you long enough," she walked past Betty in a huff, glancing at her attire. "Ooh, _love_ those pjs on you. Yummy," Amanda smirked, winking at Betty.

Betty's tired eyes looked at her unamused. "Amanda! What's this all about?" Betty crossed her arms.

"It's Daniel. I'm worried about him," she began. Betty's heart jumped in her chest.

"Well…what's-what do you mean?"

"I don't know. He just seems so sulky lately...kind of sad. He's been a little irritable too. I don't know. I'm just concerned because he doesn't seem like himself," Betty shifted her weight, resting her hands on her hips.

"I'm surprised you haven't noticed actually…" Amanda watched her friend's demeanor.

"I umm...I noticed," Betty ran a hand over her face, "I've just been preoccupied, you know?"

Amanda nodded somewhat slowly in understanding, a skeptical look on her face. "Right. But this is you and Daniel we're talking about. You guys are _never_ too busy for each other. What's _really_ going on with you two?" Amanda's hazel eyes searched hers for an answer.

"It's complicated, Amanda. Matt coming back has been kind of stressful. On everyone…"

"Of course it has. With how busy work has been lately and Matt coming back, it's no wonder you haven't talked to Daniel. You've barely had time to breathe since all this happened," Amanda pointed out.

"I know we need to talk about some things. And we will. Don't worry," Betty reassured her with a grin, but Amanda noticed it didn't quite reach her eyes.

She had a feeling there was more to the story, that perhaps in the time they had spent together after Matt had "died" brought Daniel's true feelings to the surface. Feelings that Amanda were sure had been buried for awhile. It certainly wasn't something she was going to bring up at this time of night, but it would definitely explain how Daniel had been acting.

"Ok. Well if you wanna talk, I'm just across the hall," she reminded Betty, reaching for the door.

"Thanks Amanda. I'll see you tomorrow," Betty gave her a little wave, closing the door securely and leaning against it, burying her head in her hands. They had to stop avoiding each other. This was becoming unbearable.

* * *

Betty sat quietly in the corner of the restaurant, consistently checking her watch every other minute. It'd been a couple days since her midnight conversation with Amanda and Daniel and she had finally set aside time to go to dinner together.

He looked surprised when she'd asked him. But then why wouldn't he? They were barely talking nowadays.

She sighed again, rubbing her temples and glancing out the window. Just as she was beginning to regret her idea, Daniel appeared in the doorway, looking flushed from the summer heat.

Betty raised her right hand to signal him over, and he gave a small nod of acknowledgement before he made his way over. She stood steadily as he neared the table. The light smell of his familiar cologne surrounded her as he smiled, embracing her in a brief hug.

"Hey Betty," he released her, trying to ignore the emotions stirring within by the nearness of her. Betty watched Daniel sit in the cushioned chair across from her, briefly meeting her eyes and clearing his throat.

"So…how've you been?" Daniel decided to keep things light.

Betty shrugged, craning her head to the side slightly. "Busy. Tired. Work has been a little crazy lately," she replied, thanking the waitress for bringing their menus over.

"How've you been?"

Daniel's eyes locked with hers, the menus as insignificant as ever. "Umm…about the same I guess," he lied, his gaze traveling to the window, unsuccessfully trying to find anything outside that was worth looking at.

He'd been miserable. Not only had he lost all hope of a future with Betty, he also missed his friend terribly. His mother had told him to fight for Betty, but he wasn't sure where to start, nor had he the time or energy to do it lately.

"Daniel…" she began, the tuft of hair she'd placed behind her ear falling forward into her face. "Daniel, look at me."

He sighed, her honest brown eyes searching his. "Will you please talk to me?" she felt tears stinging her eyes, but willed them away.

"What do you want me to say Betty?" he turned towards her then, raising his voice out of frustration.

"I mean…you're off spending all this extra time with Matt so you can sort out your feelings, and I'm supposed to act like everything's okay on my end? Because it's _not_, Betty! It's not okay." He glared into her eyes.

She looked taken aback. "Daniel, I-"

"When we thought Matt was gone, we were together three, maybe four times a week. We don't even have real conversations now…" Daniel pointed out, shaking his head. Betty felt anger rising inside of her at his rant. "It's hard for me to keep pretending I'm okay with this. But if you are, then-"

"Then what?" Betty raised an eyebrow, curious as to where this was going.

"Then maybe the time we spent together didn't mean as much as I thought it did." Daniel couldn't believe what he'd just said.

He knew this wasn't coming from a genuine place. He'd never been the world's best communicator, especially when he was this frustrated. He wanted to take them back, but it was too late. Daniel had seen the familiar flicker of discontent in Betty's eyes.

"Maybe it didn't," her reply sounded cold, short. The tears she'd blinked away before were long gone.

"Well I guess we don't have anything left to say to one another about it," he said, finality in his words. Betty let out a long sigh.

"Guess not," she gathered her purse then, standing from the table and turning on her heel, the untouched menus on their table long forgotten.

* * *

**Okay, this chapter may have been a bit of a downer. Just trying to capture some real emotions here. People in love act a certain way when they miss each other lol. Anyway, if you get a chance, REVIEW! Next chapter coming soon.**


	15. Putting 2 and 2 Together

**Thanks so much for the reviews, everyone! Glad you're enjoying it! This would've been up sooner, but I hit a mental block and had to edit/add some stuff.**

* * *

Betty stormed angrily up the stairs of her apartment, frantically searching for the keys hidden in the bottom of her purse. She'd taken the train home straight from the restaurant, feeling Daniel's eyes on her as she walked away.

She just wanted to get as far away from him as possible. How dare he say those things? It wasn't _her_ fault they were in this situation. The fact that he implied that was-

"Betty."

She glanced up when she reached her floor, hearing the familiar voice. "Matt," she managed to finally reach her keys, "what are you doing here?"

He shifted his weight, giving her a grin. "I figured you'd be home by now. Just wondering if you wanted to catch a bite to eat. Hadn't seen you in awhile…I missed you," Matt explained.

Betty smiled half-heartedly up at him, still distracted by the thoughts running through her head. "Oh…that's so sweet," she placed the keys in the lock, turning back and grinning at him. "I actually just came from dinner," Betty replied, purposely omitting the fact that was with Daniel and that they'd never actually _eaten_.

"Oh. Okay. Well umm…wanna catch a movie or something?" Matt wondered, feeling the blush rush to his cheeks.

Maybe he should've called before. Betty looked really deep in thought when she was coming up the stairs. Almost upset really. He needed to work on his timing. She opened the door, inviting him inside. She sat her things down, turning back towards him.

"Umm…I don't know, Matt. I'm just- not really in the mood tonight. Sorry." she replied apologetically, rubbing her forehead.

"No it's fine, no need to apologize. I was just in the area and…" Matt stopped mid-sentence, noticing her demeanor was off. "Okay what's bothering you? You looked a little upset coming up the stairs."

Betty bit her lower lip, shrugging and walking toward her refrigerator. "It's nothing. Not even worth mentioning," she poured herself some looked at her skeptically.

"Want something to drink?" she offered, realizing his eyes were still glued to her.

"No. No thanks I'm fine," Matt crossed his arms. Betty took another big gulp of her juice, suddenly wishing there was alcohol in it.

"Well…if you're sure nothing's wrong…" he grinned, placing a hand on the doorknob. A wave of guilt hit Betty, watching as Matt started to open the door. She was being cold to him for no reason.

"Wait." She moved closer to him. "I'm sorry if I seem…rude. I don't mean to be," she looked up at him apologetically, interlacing her fingers.

"You don't have to apologize. Just wish I knew what was bothering you. Maybe I can help?" Matt watched her glance at the hardwood floor, letting out a deep breath.

"It's just…I was with Daniel. We were supposed to be having a conversation, but it turned into an argument. He just made me _so_ mad. Things have been crazy at work and otherwise, and it's frustrating. It's frustrating not being able to talk to the one person I trust the most. We're not communicating and it makes everything _so_ stressful," Betty felt tears spring to her eyes. She knew she was rambling because she was telling Matt things she normally wouldn't. Her thoughts were all over the place.

Matt watched her closely, letting what she was telling him sink in. _The person I trust the most. _"Hmm. Is this because of me?" he put a hand to his chin.

Betty was caught off guard. "What do you mean?" she asked quietly.

"Well…you guys were umm…getting along fine before I came back into town weren't you?" Matt raised an eyebrow, watching Betty blush.

She ran a hand through her hair, shaking her head. "It's not your fault, Matt. Daniel and I just…" she trailed off, unable to find words.

"Just what? Love each other?" he asked the question presumptuously, watching Betty pause.

"Wait. What? I never said-"

"You don't have to, Betty. Gosh, I don't know why I didn't put it together before," he chuckled to himself, shaking his head and running a hand over his face.

"Put what together?" her heart was starting to race. She wasn't sure she liked where this was going.

"How often do you think about Daniel?" he asked directly.

She shrugged, averting her eyes. "I-I don't know Matt!" Her defenses were up. She knew how often. Every day. Almost everything reminded her of him.

"I think you _do_ know, Betty," he gave her a slight grin. Betty crossed her arms, avoiding his eyes.

"Look at me…" Matt touched her shoulders, tilting her chin upward. "Be honest with me, Betty. Give me some credit. I used to be your boyfriend. I might not know you as well as Daniel, but…I _do_ know you. You miss him. The same way I miss you."

Betty felt a tear slip down her cheek as she looked into Matt's gentle eyes. She felt all her excuses, all the reasons why Matt was wrong fade away.

He was right. He was absolutely right. She missed Daniel like crazy since Matt had returned, and as a result at times, Matt probably felt like an afterthought. She hated that. She missed Daniel not only because he was her friend, but because somewhere along the way, between her grief over Matt, late movie nights, and serenades on her rooftop, she'd fallen in love with him.

"Matt…I don't know what to say," she said through her tears, "I _do_ love you."

Matt wiped at her cheeks. "I know. I love you too. I just wish things were different," he felt himself getting a little choked up as tears rimmed his eyes.

Betty placed her hands on his chest, feeling herself being wrapped up in a hug. "I'm sorry…" she said, resting her head on his shoulder.

"You don't need to apologize to me," Matt rubbed her back, "it's how you feel. You can't really control that." She sighed, pulling away slightly. He brought his hands to her face, gently kissing her forehead.

"I think should go," he grinned down at her, his hand lingering on her cheek. Betty nodded, blinking back tears. "I'll be seeing you," Matt opened the door, giving her another gaze.

Betty swallowed over the lump in her throat. "I'll see you," she replied quietly, the soft sound of the door shutting leaving her alone with her thoughts.

* * *

Amanda strolled block toward her apartment, ignoring the pain her new heels were inflicting on her feet. She opened her cell phone, ready to send Marc a nasty text about his choice in shoes. So engrossed in her message she wasn't paying attention to the man quickly coming out of her cell phone flew out of her grasp, hitting the concrete.

"Great," Amanda muttered, bending down to pick up her battery and associated pieces of her phone.

"I'm sorry. Let me get that for you." Amanda glanced up into the familiar gaze of Matt Hartley.

"Matt!" she gasped.

"Oh. Hi Amanda," he grinned, handing her cell phone back to her.

"Sorry about that. I wasn't watching where I was going. I mean, I'm usually not, but, ya know-" she rambled as Matt grinned.

He nodded in understanding. "It's okay. I wasn't exactly being attentive either. How've you been?" he cleared his throat.

"Uh…yeah I've been good. How about you? You here to see Betty?" Amanda raised an eyebrow, really looking into his eyes. They looked a little damp.

"Umm…I was, yeah. Didn't exactly go how I'd planned, but…it's fine." Matt shrugged.

"Oh." Amanda wondered if Betty had talked to Daniel. Maybe that's why Matt looked so down. "Well listen, if you ever wanna talk, or grab drinks or something, you know where I live," she offered, adjusting the tote on her shoulder.

"Sure. Thanks Amanda. Might take you up on that," he smiled, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Amanda ignored the blush that crept to her cheeks. "No prob. I'll see you later," she opened the door to her building as he strolled down the block.

* * *

Daniel slammed the door to his apartment shut, throwing his blazer on the ground. He was such an idiot. He didn't mean a word of what he'd said to Betty. He'd wanted to tell her the exact opposite. How he couldn't go on another minute without holding her in his arms. How much he missed the smell of her hair, the nearness of her. How much he loved her. "Ugh!" he placed his head in his hands, mad at his stupidity. He needed to make this right. And he needed to do it now.

* * *

Betty sat on the small couch in her apartment, trying to get her emotions in check. Within a couple of hours, she'd gone from being furious at Daniel to sad and confused.

All this time, she'd been lying to herself to spare Matt's feelings. She'd ended up hurting him anyway, the last thing in the world she wanted to do. He'd been through so much having to leave everything he knew, and she'd only made things worse.

Betty massaged her temples, sighing as she remembered the way she'd left things with Daniel. Maybe she overreacted to what he was saying. Maybe she'd taken it the wrong way. They needed to talk.

Knocking on the door broke her train of thought. "Betty…are you there? It's Amanda." Betty stood from the couch and opened the door.

"Amanda. What's up?" Betty watched her remove her heels and walk past her inside.

"Oh, thank goodness. My feet were killing me," Amanda let herself in. Betty closed the door, crossing her arms. Amanda made herself comfortable on Betty's couch, kicking her feet up. "So?" she asked expectantly.

Betty raised an eyebrow. "So…what?"

"I ran into Matt on the way up…" she began, watching Betty nod knowingly. Amanda grinned, patting the spot next to her on the couch. Betty sat next to her, biting her lip.

"We talked. I'll just say he helped me realize some things," she left it simple.

"You got a chance to talk to Daniel?" Amanda knew she was being a little nosey, but she was genuinely concerned about Daniel. He hadn't been this mopey since Molly died, so clearly something was wrong.

"Yeah. Well…not really. We had an argument. It wasn't really what I was hoping for," Betty fiddled with the 'B' on her necklace.

"Hmm. Well…I'm sure whatever you guys argued about, he didn't mean it. It's pretty obvious how much he-" Amanda stopped, catching herself. "How much he cares for you."

Betty looked over at Amanda, giving her a small grin. For the way they'd started their relationship, Amanda had actually turned into a pretty good friend. And for that she was grateful. "Thanks for saying that. Hopefully we can clear things up," Betty replied.

Amanda sighed, getting up. "Well…good talk. I'm starved. Time to see what Marc's making us for dinner," she gathered her purse and shoes.

"Okay. See you later," Betty closed the door behind her, eyeing the cell phone on the small dining table. Two missed calls? Her phone must've been on vibrate.

They were from Daniel. She dialed voicemail. "Hey…" Daniel let out a long sigh, "I guess you…don't want to talk to me, or hear what I have to say right now. Don't blame you. Listen, all that stuff I said at the restaurant, I didn't mean it. I just- I don't know, Betty. I thought I could give you space and everything, but…it's been harder than I ever imagined. I miss you something awful, Betty…" he paused for a few moments. "I- there's so much I want to say, and-" Betty moved the phone from her ear, hearing light knocking on the door.

She hung the phone up and swung the door open, half-expecting to see Amanda there again asking for something random. It wasn't.

Betty stared up into the cool blue eyes of the man invading her thoughts and her heart. "Daniel."

* * *

**DUN, DUN DUN! LOL. I like to leave you guys with a mini-cliffhanger. Betty needed that wake up call, and I think Matt was a good person to give it to her. I kinda of wanna do a little something with Matt cause I did like his character (at times), but I don't know if it should be in this story or a spin-off to this story. Anyway...PUSH REVIEW. Thanks for reading!**


	16. Confessions

**Hey all! I would've updated last week, but I was at my dad's and he was having wireless internet woes and now I'm in the middle of a move. Anywho, hope you like and thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

Daniel's breath caught in his throat as he looked at Betty on the other side of the threshold, phone in hand, brown eyes staring up at him in surprise. His heart was racing and it was then he remembered he'd come up the stairs rather quickly.

"Hey Betty," he released a deep breath, momentarily avoiding her gaze. "Mind if I come in?" She nodded, stepping aside and closing the door behind him.

Daniel turned back around to face her, watching as she crossed her arms.

"Betty, I'm sorry," he began, hoping that was a good start. "I didn't mean to yell at you earlier. All the things I said- well…it didn't come out the way it should have. If it sounded like I was mad at you, I wasn't. I'm just frustrated with our situation. I got so used to us being together almost everyday, and then all of a sudden, things were different," he paused. Betty uncrossed her arms, nodding slightly.

"I thought I'd be able to do it, but I can't. I miss you so much, Betty," Daniel stepped closer to her, placing his hands on her shoulders and looking into her eyes.

"I know. I miss you too," she admitted.

"Being apart from you like this…not being near you is too much. I don't want to have to do it anymore. Because I've fallen in love with you. I love you, Betty," he professed, his clear blue eyes giving away every emotion he felt in that moment.

"You do?" she felt tears spring to her eyes and tried to blink them away. He nodded, feeling a grin spreading across his lips. "I'm in love with you too. I don't wanna fight it anymore," tears slid down her cheek.

Daniel held her face in his hands, quieting her cries as he brought his lips to hers in a slow, passionate kiss. Daniel savored every second of that kiss, having yearned to touch her lips for so long, and somehow afraid that he'd wake up any second.

Betty pulled him closer to her, unsure if it was the lack of dinner or the kiss that had her feeling dizzy. Either way, she didn't want him to stop. He pulled away briefly, leaning his forehead against hers.

"I missed those lips," he whispered, making her smile. "And this…" he dipped his head, trailing soft kisses down the nape of her neck.

"Hmm," she closed her eyes involuntarily, letting out a sigh.

Daniel slowly walked her backward until her back met the wall, kissing her eagerly. His hand slowly slid up her bare leg, finding its way between her thighs. Betty softly moaned against his lips as his fingers delved into the moisture beneath her panties. She'd never wanted anyone more.

"Let's go to the bedroom," Betty told him between kisses, her brown eyes telling him all he needed to know. She took his hand, leading him to her room.

He walked the few steps separating them slowly, peeling the blazer off of her as she did the same for him. She loosened the belt supporting his slacks, her small hand craftily gliding under his boxers. She rubbed the length of his manhood, causing him to bite his lip as his pants fell to the floor. Daniel stopped kissing her momentarily, holding her close and losing himself in her eyes.

"I missed you so much," Betty told him between kisses, relishing the feeling of his lips.

"I missed you too," he leaned his forehead against hers. "I just wanna show you how much," he said in a breathy whisper. He wrapped his arms around her, gliding his hand up her backside and tangling his fingers in her long tresses.

They continued undressing each other, sweat the only thing separating them as they collapsed unto the plush mattress. He grabbed both of her hands, pinning them down on either side of her head as he dug deeply inside of her. Waves of passion surrounded them as the night faded away…

* * *

Betty's eyes popped open with a start, darkness greeting her.

She felt Daniel's soft breath tickling the nape of her neck, his left arm draped over her. _What time was it?_ She turned toward her alarm clock, vaguely remembering it being knocked over in their rush to get undressed.

She grinned slightly, then touched her belly, the dull pain reminding her why she'd woken up in the first place. She was starving.

Betty gave Daniel a glance, her eyes adjusting to the dark. He looked so peaceful. She wondered if she could maneuver herself away without disturbing him. She somehow was able to do so, carefully slipping away from the bed.

Grabbing her robe, she quietly walked into the kitchen. 4:48 according to the microwave.

Her stomach made an audible growl. "Okay, get the picture. Don't have to make a scene." Betty whispered to herself, patting her stomach. After eying the peanut butter, she grabbed a loaf of bread and spotted some strawberry jelly in the fridge. Comfort food.

"Where'd you go?" Betty slightly jumped at the sound of Daniel's voice. She turned, seeing he was a few feet behind her.

"Wow. Someone walks quietly," she grinned.

He walked closer to her. "Hmm…look who's talking," Daniel smiled down at her.

She laughed at him and the hair sticking up all over his head. She tiptoed, kissing him gently. "You hungry?" she asked, biting her lip.

"I'm always up for pb&j," he replied, watching her turn to grab two more slices of bread.

Daniel looked at her for a moment, a lopsided grin plastered on his face. Betty noticed he'd gotten quiet and glanced back at him, halfway done with his sandwich.

"What is it?" she wondered, making Daniel's sandwich with way more peanut butter than jelly. Just the way he liked it.

"Nothing," he shrugged, moving closer, wrapping his arms around her from behind. He kissed the top of her head, letting out a sigh. "Just…this is nice is all." She finished his sandwich and secured the lid on the jelly. "I know," Betty beamed, turning to face him, "I feel so safe in your arms."

"Good. Cause I'm never letting you go." He lifted her up off the ground, tiptoes grazing the floor as they kissed.

A bit later they sat cuddled on the couch, Betty's feet curled under her and Daniel's propped up on the footstool as they devoured their pb&j's.

"This is like, the best sandwich ever. My compliments to the chef," he told her as he took his last bite. Guess he'd worked up an appetite.

"You're welcome dear," Betty took a sip of her water, letting her gaze linger on him as he wiped at his mouth with a napkin. "When did you know?" she wondered, turning towards him a bit more.

Daniel's blue eyes focused on her, looking a bit confused. "When did I know what?" he drank his milk.

"When'd you know that you loved me?" It was a random question, just popped into her head when she was making sandwiches. She was definitely curious though.

"Hmm," he sat his glass on the side table, searching his brain for an answer. It was a simple enough question, but Daniel wasn't sure how to answer. "I'm not sure…" he trailed off. "Oh." Betty tried to hide her disappointment, until she heard him speak again.

"I can't remember a time when I didn't love you. That sounds corny. But it's true," Daniel grinned, seeing Betty blush. "I've loved you for a long time. Before we thought Matt died. I just didn't know it yet. I guess I started noticing my feelings were changing a little after Molly died."

"What do you mean?"

"Well…I felt like I needed you more. You were the bright spot in my day. I didn't want to do anything without you. It registered with me how much my happiness was dependent on yours. But when I started to think about it, when had that not been the case?" Daniel paused, glancing over at her. "I'm not making much sense am I?" he chuckled. "No. You are. I understand completely. It's sweet," Betty smiled at him.

"You really helped me become a better person. You called me out on my crap. But at the same time, you made me feel like I could do better. I loved you for that. Even if it was just..."as a friend" at the time," Daniel gazed at her lovingly as she ran her free hand through his locks. "You were the first genuinely good person I'd _ever_ met. Part of me always wondered what it was like to be loved by you. So completely."

"Well you don't have to wonder anymore," Betty replied softly, kissing his cheek.

"What about you? When did you fall in love with me?" he raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Hmm. I think I realized I was falling in love with you on the 4th of July. The night you serenaded me on the roof. Also known as the night you cut your finger trying to show off," she laughed and so did he. "I think something was in the air that night. But I knew things were changing during Hilda's baby shower. I just wasn't ready to admit it to myself. Partly, because I was still letting go of Matt. But I think deep down, I kinda thought-" she paused, glancing away.

"What?" he asked.

"I guess a part of me thought you could never feel the same way. About someone like me..."

Daniel looked at her incredulously. She suddenly looked very timid, the look on her face reminding him of her first days at Mode. He lightly touched her chin, turning it towards him to see her eyes. "Betty...that's nonsense. Why would you think that?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I guess...even though I've changed a lot on the outside, I'm still a little insecure about some things."

"I wish you weren't. You're beautiful to me, inside and out. I'm the one who thought you'd never feel the same way about me. Don't you get it, Betty? I'm the lucky one here," he poured his heart out, bringing her hand to his lips and gently kissing it.

Betty felt tears spring to the corner of her eyes and bit her lower lip to keep them at bay. That's why she loved him. She leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She allowed herself to get lost in his eyes for a few moments while they sat nose-to-nose, memorizing small details of his face.

"You're so sweet. But I think we're both lucky," she told him with a smirk.

Daniel smiled, pressing his lips to hers and kissing her passionately. And when he pulled away slightly, uttering the three words she knew she'd never grow tired of hearing, she felt her heart speed up a bit and took a deep breath to control the butterflies in her stomach. "Let's go to bed," he suggested, standing and holding his hand out for her. She placed her small hand in his, a comfortable, perfect fit. Nothing had ever felt so right.

* * *

**Things in this chapter went from romantic to freaky then back to romantic, but that's what happens in real life. Does to me anyway, lmao. Plus these two have been apart for soooo long. It was coming. I think this maybe could be the end of the story or I could do a wrap up. Let me know in your review! Thanks for reading!  
**


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